Rise of a Guardian
by HannahJaneLee
Summary: It's been two years since Jack became a Guardian, and Pitch's shadows are growing stronger. The winter solstice approaches, the darkest day of the year. And to make matters worse, Pitch has a winter spirit in his sights. The Guardians know they need help, but who will answer the call? Can Jack and his new friends Katherine and Nightlight save childhood? Or will darkness prevail?
1. Moonlit walk: Chapter 1

Prologe

~Moonlit Walk~

It was a beautiful, still night. The snow that had been falling for the past few hours had finally stopped, leaving behind a crisp, clear moonlit sky filled with thousands upon thousands of stars. The Man in the Moon's smiling face shone down like it was made of crystal ice. The snow upon the ground practically glowed in the moonlight. It had stuck to the branch of every tree, making the world look as if it was covered in marshmallow frosting. The world was silently sleeping, and all was still and peaceful.

It was a sight to behold, but only one pair of eyes would behold it tonight. And that would just so happen to be the creator of this masterpiece; Jack Frost.

Currently the boy was perched in a large tree, admiring his handiwork. He leaned on his staff and let out a low whistle. He had really outdone himself this time!

His snow white hair and rumpled up cloak came alive as a fresh, brisk breeze came across the scene. He closed his ocean blue eyes as the cool air washed over his pale face and nipped his nose. He was a handsome boy, and looked about 18 years old. His body was mostly made up of long legs covered with capris pants that where very old and distressed, tied at the ends by rough leather. He always carried his staff. It was about as tall as he was, with about a half circle at the top. Just by looking at him you could tell he was a mischievous sprite who had a knack of stirring up trouble.

Then the winter nymph jumped nimbly down from his icy perch, his bare feet crunching the snow beneath him. Then he continued on his journey.

Usually Jack just traveled wherever he pleased, wherever the wind would take him. But, unconventionally, tonight he was on a journey to a certain place.

He had traveled this way so many times that his feet had worn a path in the foliage and tree branches. He dragged his staff along the familiar ground and brushed the nearby trees with his hands. Where his fingers met the tree's bark beautiful works of art where formed of frost. Spirals and flowers and fernlike designs quickly spread around the trees. Jack didn't even notice this transformation though; he was too lost in thought; his eyes frozen, facing forward.

He had made it to his destination.

He paused for a moment, taking in the scene. The trees stopped just feet in front of him, beyond sat a large glassy lake surrounded by a ring of snow. It was a rather small lake, easily frozen over by the winter cold. Around it sat evergreens and empty branched trees, looking over the lake like tall, silent guardians.

Jack smiled at the familiar sight. Since he had become Jack Frost he had never really had a place to call home. He was constantly migrating along with the seasons, ushering the cold down from the North and reigning it back year after year. But he was attached to this place in so much he considered it his home. This was where his journey began, this is where he was born of Frost.

He had only learned what had truly happened that fateful night a year ago, but he had come to accept what had happened. He had made a terrible mistake, and it cost his sister her life. But he payed the debt with his own. He had saved her from a frigid, watery grave, and the frozen cold that claimed his soul had stayed with him ever since.

Although he was very proud of saving his sister that night, it was still too painful to retell the tale to his friends. He just simply said, "I drowned saving my sister," When the Guardians asked. They didn't press for more information, and they didn't ask for it. Then he would act as if it wasn't a big deal. But to him it was- and every day he thought of her, meditating constantly on the memories he had of her. But you couldn't touch a memory. But this place, this place was a memory. And it was tangible.

One year ago all that he could remember was the cold that roused him from a death-like sleep. That was all he had ever known: Cold, darkness, loneliness. But he had chosen in this life to learn of the laughter of children, of stories and legends and the rush of childhood innocence. That was what he was, the embodiment of the fun of childhood; an Immortal with the soul of a child.

Jack came to find he wasn't just eternally young, but he had been given control over the winter elements as well. At the lake he practiced his newfound abilities, using the staff he found on the surface,

Later on he went to the warren of the tooth fairy, where he found his teeth and memories of his past life. That was a while ago though, but he hadn't visited the lake since he had found out about his history, and so he thought he would drop in.

He strode along the shoreline of the lake using his staff as a walking stick, leaving behind him a trail of bare foot prints and staff imprints.

Jack stopped leaned on his staff and stared at the lake, and then the sky. He closed his eyes for a moment and just breathed. This place always brought him peace.

He turned away from the lake and saw a very large, old oak tree in front of him. In the blink of an eye he had climbed up the twisted trunk like a squirrel. He pulled himself up to the nook in the tree where it splits from the trunk out into multiple branches. He had found this spot many years ago. He slept here for years, and he never had one nightmare. The wood was worn smooth, imprinted to his sleeping form.

Jack smiled to see it was still in the same condition he left it. He hadn't been here in a while, so he was afraid some animals could have made it their home. He propped his staff up against a branch and sat down. He ran his hands over the smoothed wood, feeling each crack, every mark he ever carved into it.

At the sight of his familiar sleeping niche he suddenly opened up his mouth as far as it could go, and let out a long yawn. He stretched his arms out and smiled. He sure had missed this place.

He sat down and curled up into a tight ball, the curves of his frame fitting into the curves of the tree like a puzzle piece, and let his fatigue wash over him. He closed his bright blue eyes and using his arms for a pillow and his cloak for a blanket, the winter sprite fell into a wonderfully peaceful, deep slumber.


	2. The Girl with the Blue Scarf: Chapter 2

Jack Frost awoke to the sounds of winter birds serenading the new born sun. It was a wonderful way to wake up from a night of sweet, undisturbed dreaming. No nightmares, no noises from traffic of the city; It was a dream come true.

As soon as he opened his eyes he was met with an extreme display of color spread all across the morning sky. It was visible between the gaps in the foliage of his sleeping tree, and it shone down on the snow giving it a pinkish hue. Jack stretched his long arms as he let out a yawn. He hadn't been this refreshed in a long time!

He climbed down from his tree and floated down to the ground, with the help of the wind. Then he walked to the edge of the lake, it tired him to fly everywhere.

And today was his lazy day.

Jack leaned on his staff and stared at the lake, and then the sky. He closed his eyes for a moment and felt a breeze. This place always brought him peace.

When he opened his eyes, he saw something he hadn't seen the night before. In the middle of the lake there was a large hole. As he squinted at the hole he realized it was surrounded by an ice-skater's tracks.

He had a moment of panic. Even years ago, before he know his story he always wanted people to stay away from the lake. When people came to swim or boat he would freeze it over. When people came to skate he would make the ice so thick, it would be able to support a truck. He never knew why he did this, but now he knew then and there. He had never wanted anyone to be in it because he didn't want anyone to suffer his fate as well! All of those actions made sense now.

Jack stood paralyzed for a moment, just staring at the icy gap in the ice. Then he dropped his cloak and flew over to the hole as fast as he could. He searched the hole feverishly with his eyes then spotted something.

A blue scarf was floating in the water.

He fished it out with his staff and looked around anxiously. Where there any tracks that showed that the person got out? Where they already dead, and under the ice? He was freaking out. If only he had been here sooner! This never would have happened!

He hung his head and cursed himself. There was no way the person was still alive if they didn't get out. Now, Jack had been alive awhile, and he was used to finding things like this. Many people died in the cold, or drowned in a lake in the winter. Every time he would come across one he would hold a small memorial out of respect for the lost person who would probably never be found.

He walked off of the lake and grabbed a large stick. He stuck it in the ground and then draped the scarf over it. It was a small memorial, but it would have to do. So he just sat there in front of the scarf , head hung in defeat. 'I'm a guardian,' he thought to himself, 'and I can't even save a person from sharing the same fate as me."  
A teardrop fell from his face to the snow, but instead of the water hitting the ground, halfway down it froze and became a snowflake, which fluttered away into the breeze.

He sighed, sniffling. He never really did cry at his memorials, but this was different. HE had also died in the lake ice-skating. He knew what it felt like to drown in that lake, and he had never wanted anyone else to feel the way he did that night. Who knows; maybe that person died saving another…

Jacks thoughts where suddenly interrupted by the snap of a twig from about 10 feet behind him. His senses heightened, waiting for any other noise closer by. It was probably just a rabbit or fox, but you could never be too sure.

Then suddenly a warm gust of air came by, messing up his hair and going down the back of his neck. But something was wrong. Then jack realized, that that gust of air wasn't a breeze. It was someone's hot breath on his neck.

Then Jack jumped as a voice whispered into his ear. "How pathetic," it said. Jack spun around and gripped his staff with his ice white hands. His eyes glowed blue. But there was no one behind him.

"Who's there?" He barked. But there was no answer. But he already knew who had spoken. He would have recognized that voice anywhere.  
It was Pitch, as in Pitch Black.

Jack shuddered. That voice brought back terrible memories. They had defeated him only over a year ago! How could he be back already?  
Then a spine chilling laugh broke through the silence. Jack was a little scared, but he was madder at the boogieman then he was scared of him.

"Come out here Pitch! And fight like a man!" Jack yelled. He really did doubt his chances in a one on one fight with him, but he didn't really know what to do. His best bet was if they got into a fight Jack could lure him to the pole or to another warren so that he would have backup.

But there was no response. Jack was slightly relived, but scared as well. He stood there not really knowing what to do, but to afraid to let his guard down.

Then out of the darkness shot inky black shadow, streaking straight to his leg. The shadow grabbed him, just below the end of his pant leg, and began to drag him towards the forest line, towards the other shadows.

Jack acted quickly, and in one smooth action he took his staff and plunged it into the shadow. The staff hit it directly in the middle, and in one blast of bright blue light, the shadow was shattered into a million pieces; sending Jack to the ground.

Jack sat there a moment in the eerie calm, just waiting for the next attack. That was far too easy! There was no way the battle was already done!

But then after about a minute of eerie silence and no more attacks, jack concluded it was over. He stood up and brushed himself off. That had been really easy! He must be getting more powerful, if he just got rid of the shadows in one blast. He was awesome!

…. But something still didn't feel right.

Jack spun around and saw a startling sight. The stick he had placed into the ground with the scarf draped over it was being surrounded by the shadows! That hadn't been an attack on him! Merely a decoy!

Next moment he took off, grabbing the scarf in his open hand midflight. He didn't know what Pitch had wanted with the scarf, but if he wanted it, Jack wouldn't let him have it. Jack soared away into the sky with the sounds of Pitches screams behind him, growing softer and more far away by the second.

He laughed to himself. He was far too clever! No shadow man could outsmart Jack Frost! He soared around a minute or two before he actually started to investigate the scarf. It seemed like an ordinary scarf, Jack thought. It was blue, and now that jack looked at it he noticed it was covered in lace on the underside.

'Well, its a girls scarf,' He observed. It was wet and cold, and it was kind of heavy. He had no idea what to do with it, so he concluded the safest place for it would be North's workshop.

He willed the winds to pick him up and carry him to the pole, and he was there within minutes.'So much for his stay at the lake' he thought.

The huge workshop came into view and jack landed right next to the huge wooden door that led to the heart of the huge fortress. The yetis let him in with no hesitation, eyes widened at the possibility that Jack had come for a visit. Jack walked past them all smiling, as if to say, 'Can't stop me now big guys!'

One large grey yeti scowled at him and pounded his fists. Jack just grinned and said,"Hey there Phil!" Then he cheekily flew into the workshop, leaving the dumbfounded yeti behind him.

It took a while to get to North's office, he had to dodge tons of random floating toys, try to out fly some of the yetis who still thought he wasn't allowed into the workshop, and of course the elves wouldn't leave him alone. They would jump in to him from above so they could hitch a free ride, or grab on to his staff. It usually took a while to shake their grips on his staff loose, or pry their teeth from his clothing. Now he remembered why he never visited North's workshop.

Finally he made it to North's door. He didn't think to knock; he just barged into the room. He had wasted enough time trying to reach him to tell him about pitch.

He swung the door open and heard a crash. 'Oh crap!' he thought to himself. Nest moment he was covered in broken pieces of ice. A particularly large one hit him on the head. He exclaimed and touched the spot where it had hit him. He could feel a bump forming already. "Ow, ouch ow ow ouch!" He mumbled.

Then he heard a loud yelp come from across the room followed by a thick Russian accent yelling, "Vy is et you yetis NEVER KNOCK!"  
Jack looked up to see a large man all dressed in red with a look of rage on his face. But then his look of anger changed to confusion as he saw that his intruder wasn't a yeti at all. Then his face broke out into a huge smile and he yelled, "Jack!"

Next thing Jack knew his was engulfed in a huge bear hug from the fat man, his ribs being crushed and the air being squeezed right out of him. He managed to force out one sentence,"North! I can't breathe!"

North released his grip on the poor boy laughing a loud boisterous voice and then slapped his back, knocking whatever air was left in him out. He yelled,"I knew you vould come back to ze pole Jack!"

The winter spirit leaned onto the wall, taking deep breaths and trying to regulate his breathing again while the large bearded man just laughed. Jack rarely visited the workshop, mainly because North always tried to get the boy to stay there with him. He had a room all for jack ready if he ever needed it, but Jack would always be a roamer. He had been alive for over 300 years, and he had never had a real room all to himself, and he liked it that way. He was used to it, but every time Jack would drop in to just say hi North would think he had come to take up his offer at living at the pole. No matter how many times Jack said no, North would always get his hopes up. And Jack knew he would never give up.

Jack smiled at the stubborn old man and said, "Hey North. I just wanted to drop in for a visit."

North's face went blank and he just stared at Jack for a minute. The boy just held his breath, waiting for his response. But North just shrugged and said, "Oh vell.."

Jack cringed at the man's crestfallen face and looked down at the remains of his ice toy. He said, "I'm sorry about the toy, North. I wasn't thinking."

The man looked down at the ice scattered about the floor and sighed. "It vas an airplane vith a bubble machine inside." A yeti had come in and was sweeping up the broken fragments. Jack felt awful.

Before the yeti left with the pieces jack stopped him. He grabbed the dustpan full of the pieces from the yeti's hands and had an idea. He envisioned the airplane in his mind and tapped his staff the ice pieces.

North was looking over Jacks shoulder, with wide watching eyes as the boy experimented with his powers.

Then suddenly the ice melted into water. Jack sighed with defeat, but the change just made him become more determined to fix it.  
He closed his eyes and imagined an airplane with a little device at the end that shoots out bubbles. Then he tapped his staff to the water once again.

Then he heard North let out a loud, "Ohhh!" Jack opened his eyes and instead of a dirty pile of water a beautiful ice airplane sat in the dustpan. Jack smiled and handed the plane to North, who was dumbstruck.

He held the small, delicate plane in his huge hands and just stared at it with wide eyes. Then he looked up at Jack confused and said, "Ow did you do that? It's a better design than et vas before!"

Jack just shrugged and walked over to North's big chair and sat down. He put his feet up on the desk, something North always reprimanded at him for. But the large man didn't seem to care at the moment. He was winding up the airplane, and then he threw it into the air.

Jack held his breath. He didn't know if it would fly, or even make bubbles. He was relieved when the plane soared over his head, making a slight humming noise as it doused him in icy bubbles. They didn't pop like normal ones; they floated down to the ground and clinked on the ground. They wouldn't ever pop, they could only melt or be cracked by some rather large feet, which they were. North was laughing hysterically and chasing the airplane like a little kid, breaking all the icy bubbles it made as it went. Jack just smiled at the man, he was old, but still such a child. Finally the airplane ran out of gas and landed softly on a near table.

North clapped his hands enthusiastically and smiled. But when he looked over at Jack he got a serious look on his face. He walked over to Jack (who was sitting in North's chair mind you) and gestured for him to move. Jack made a pouty face and the jolly man gave up and sighed in defeat. He was really soft with Jack. He pulled up a spared chair and said, "So Jack. Vat brings you to ze pole"

Jack reached under his cloak and took out the scarf. It was dryer now, but it was still wet. Then he said "I went up to the lake last night." Everyone knew about the lake Jack had drowned in. Baby tooth had told Tooth, and she spilled to everyone else. Jack didn't mind though, it saved him the trouble of telling them. Then he continued, "I was walking around and saw this in the water. I think some girl fell in"  
North took the wet scarf and studied it in his hands. "Zat is very unfortunate, Jack. But is zat the reason you came to ze Pole? Just because of zis dead girl?"

Jack shook his head. "That's not the weird part North..." Then he told him about how Pitch had attacked him so he could distract him from the scarf. Small nightmare sightings where normal, Kids always had nightmares. They could never get fully rid of Pitch, or the fearlings. They just had to fight them and try to keep them at bay so that they could never rise like they had around a year ago. But when Jack told him about how they were trying to get the scarf north's eyebrows raised in alarm.

He stood up and walked to the door. He said, "Follow me, Jack." Jack stood and they walked through the workshop together. North said," I have no idea vat Pitch could have wanted vith zis scarf, but if he wants it- ve must keep et avay from him."  
Jack nodded in approval; it was funny how they thought so alike.

They walked a few more minutes in silence, deeper and deeper into the vault. Jack had never been this far in, the wood walls disappeared and there was now ice walls, they where deep in the mountain. They reached a large vault and North made jack turn away while he did the combo to open it. Jack raised an eyebrow as if to say, 'really? You don't trust me?'

But North just looked confused and said, "Vat? Oh come on Jack! Just turn avround!"

Jack rolled his eyes and turned around as North punched in the code. He heard the large doors open and he turned around and he saw that inside the huge safe there where many strange old looking objects. They walked together and jack spotted a cool looking chest. He walked over and opened it up, completely clueless. He was expecting a cool sowrd or some books or something old, but he didn't see anything at all. Literally. When he opened the chest it exploded with light, making jack temporarily blind.

North ran over and closed it fast. Jack was blinking away the black spots and he heard North say, "Jack! No touching anyzing!"

Jack looked at the man, his vision still blurry and said," What was that?"

North just shrugged and said,"Oh just some fallen stars ve have found over ze centuries. Zey are very rare.

"Cool." Jack said. "What's this?" He said as he reached over to another chest.

Suddenly North appeared between him and his new target of interest. He glared down at the sprite, huge busy eyebrows in a V shape. "No. Touching. ANYZING" He put emphasis into each word and poked Jack with his pointer finger with every sillable.

Jack put his hands up in the air and backed up in defense, fake innocence in his eyes. "Me? I wasn't touching anything! What are you talking about?"

North just grumbled and walked away. Between grumbles Jack could hear the words 'annoying' and 'naughty list'.

At the back of the room there was, yet another vault. Much smaller but it looked really thick. North made Jack turn around (Much to Jacks displeasure) while he put in another code. The safe opened and North threw the scarf in before Jack could get a peek of what he was having so heavily guarded.

They walked out of the vault back into the bare ice hallway. The large door slowly closed behind Jack and North, sealing the scarf away into its depths. Although Jack knew it was the best place for it, he didn't want to let it go. It was strange, he felt as if he had taken it away from someone even though the owner had died. He felt... guilty. But why? The person was dead. Maybe it was because that person, that girl, had just died in his lake. That had to be it. But still, why was he so sad?

Jack sighed as the yetis locked the vault back up. North noticed the troubled look on the boys face, and had an idea. He turned to him and said, "Hey Jack"

"What North?"

"Do you vant to go for a ride in the sleigh?"

Jacks face lit up like a lightblulb and he forgot his troubled thoughts. He grinned and yelled, "Heck yes!" Then took off down the hall bellowing, "Ill drive!"

North just laughed and followed after the excited boy, who was now way ahead of him. But his shouts of joy where still heard from down the hall.

"Everyone loves the sleigh."


	3. Snow day? Chapter 3

Jack Frost was bored.

It wasn't something new. He was bored a lot, especially in the warmer months. It was the middle of November, and it was still pretty warm outside and so he couldn't manage to work up a good snowstorm yet.

He sighed and rode the winds to Jamie's house, even though he knew Jamie couldn't play today. Jamie had the flu, and so did some of his other friends. All the others where on fall break vacations.

Jack slowed down and approached the boys 2nd floor window. He peered inside of his room, checking for the boy. The walls where covered in tons of crayon pictures of him and Jack and other guardians together. One was of tooth smiling brightly and one was of little baby tooth (there where next to each other, naturally). There was Bunnymund hiding eggs and one of North with his swords in the air. There where a few of sandy even. But most of them where of Jack.

Jack smiled. He could tell that there where lots of new ones. Jamie must be keeping busy while he's stuck in bed sick.

Jack looked at the bed and saw Jamie's sleeping figure hidden under many blankets, his mop of brown hair peeking out the end. His blankets rose and fell with each breath that he took in his dreamlike state. Dreamsand floated over his head. Jack had told Sandy about Jamie and his friends being sick and so he made sure that they always had good dreams; night or day. He was currently dreaming of a snow day with Jack and all of his friends.

His bed was surrounded by tissues and he had multiple medications on his nightstand, as well as a puke bowl. Jack frowned. He felt so bad for Jamie, but he couldn't help him. He had to stay warm, and so Jack had to stay outside.

He touched the window, leaving a trail of frost where his finger made contact with the glass. He wanted Jamie to know that he had come to check on him, it would cheer him up. He covered the whole window with beautiful designs, knowing that Jamie would know that it was his doing.

Jack sighed and flew up to the roof. He paced the roof's carrot top for a moment. He had lots of friends now, but he just wished he had a friend that could fly with him places. It got boring bringing winter to the world alone.

A breeze came by and Jack smiled. He did have a friend today after all!

He tilted his head to the sky and stopped."Hey wind!" He yelled.

The breeze picked up as if to say, 'where to Jack?'

"Surprise me!" He said with a laugh.

There was silence for a moment as if the wind was deciding where to take the boy. Then Jack was roughly whisked off of his feet into the sky. He rode the winds jerking currents with ease, laughing as the wind took him to an unknown spot.

Suddenly the wind changed direction, taking him to the ground. He landed easily with a crunch in the some snow, and looked around confused. What was this place? Was he at the south pole? He couldn't be! He hadn't been flying for long, so he mustn't have flown far from Burgess.

Jack hadn't made the first snowfall yet. He was saving it for a different day, when Jamie felt better. Then how could it be snowing right now, so close to Burgess?

The snow was deep too. Like, a foot and a half deep. It must have been falling for hours! How did he not know about this? He controlled the winter elements!

He took off, up to the sky so he could see where the wind had taken him.

He looked around, and what he saw startled him. He wasn't far from his lake! And Burgess was right over there, in the opposite direction. Where did this freak snowstorm come from?

He flew back down to the huge field and touched the snow. It was really soft, and really clean. That was strange, the first snow was usually dirty because it collected all of the pollution and dragged it down to the ground. But this stuff was bright and clean, like it had been falling for weeks!

He furrowed his brows. What was going on? Had it been snowing here for that long? He hadn't visited the lake in months. He frowned and whispered, "What the crap?"

He flew to the edge of the clearing and the sight stopped him dead in his tracks. There was a large oak tree directly in front of him, and its branches where bare. But that wasn't what startled him.

The tree was completely covered in ice, from the base of the trunk to the topmost branch. It looked almost as if it was made of ice. The light was hitting it just right, and it sent rainbows from the branches onto the pure white snow on the ground. It was so beautiful it couldn't be expressed in words. But there was something about it, it was so bright and pure that Jack knew that it was magic.

Jack was so startled by its beauty he had to step back. He had never been able to do anything like this! But who could have? He was the only winter guardian besides North, and North didn't have control over winter elements.

Then he heard something. A voice, coming from the tree of ice.

And it was singing.


	4. Winter Song: Chapter 4

Someone messeged me and told me there was a glitch in the uploading of this chapter, and now it is fixed! Thank you for the message, Demona Evernight!:)

~Winter Song~

Jack looked around for anyone, or any sign that anyone had been here at this spot. Then he heard it. The most beautiful, crystal clear, angelic voice he had ever heard. He couldn't see the source of the singer, so he just listened to what she was signing:

"This is my winter song to you.  
The storm is coming soon,  
It rolls in from the sea..."

Jack realized the voice was coming from the ice tree. He willed a strong breeze to come and take him there, quietly.

"My voice a beacon in the night,  
My words will be your light,  
To carry you to me..."

Her voice trembled with a dainty vibrato. Her voice was pure and sweet. He was halfway there when her beautiful chorus started.

"Is love alive?

Is love alive?

Is love?..."

He slowed as he approached a tree close to the glassy tree.

"I still believe in sunny days  
The seasons may change  
But life will find a way."

The closer he got to the tree he was able to see the details he couldn't from afar. The ice wrapped around the tree had a beautiful floral pattern inside, almost as if flowers where frozen in the ice. The snowfall was now light and silent.

"Ill be your harvester of light,  
And send it out tonight,  
so we can start again."

Jack landed and peered around the trees trunk. What he saw was unexpected.

There was many animals on the other side: small fawns and their mothers, snow bunnies, white foxes, and many birds. They where all seated, and listening to the song.

"Is love alive?  
Is love alive?  
Is love alive?"

Jack could tell the song was nearing an end.

"This is my winter song,  
December never felt so wrong.  
Because your not where you belong...  
Inside my arms."

Jack peered around the tree as he song was ending and saw the girl. She practically glowed in the twilight and his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. She was pale as the snow around her, and her beautiful face was framed by brown slightly curly locks that cascaded down her back. Snowflakes where stuck in her hair and thick eyelashes. Her lips where small and pink, but it was her eyes that made him speechless. They where rimmed in a dark royal blue, and faded into a aqua color in the middle. Her dress was the same color as his hoodie, and her eyes. The top was covered in frost details, much like the ones on the tree and the bottom was trimmed in lace. She must be a winter spirit like him, because she wasn't wearing shoes and she didn't look the least bit cold. Her legs and feet where bound in ripped rags, like the ones on his pants almost. An small baby bunny sat on her lap and a fawn by her right side, whom she was petting. She was beautiful.

"Is love alive?  
is love alive?  
is love alive"

Then Jack noticed that in the hand she wasn't using to pet the baby deer, she was holding something. It was a necklace, on a long silvery chain.

"This is my winter song to you..."

Her song was done, and she remained quiet. He wished she would sing again! He sighed and leaned on the tree. Who was this girl?

Immediately her head shot up. 'She must of heard me' he thought. She scanned the trees with her eyes, looking for danger. Her body frozen in fear.

Jack moved so she wouldn't be able to see him, but he stepped on a twig and there was a loud *snap*.

The girl stood and whirled in his direction. There eyes met, and Jack smiled. She could see him! But something was wrong... her eyes where full of terror.

She started backing away from Jack slowly at first, but then quickly. She was clutching her necklace in her hand.

Jack stepped forward and shouted, "Wait!" But the maiden turned and ran as he advanced, her hair flowing behind her.

He willed the winds to pick him up and carry him to her. He couldn't loose her now! He didn't even know her name!

He rose up, but something had caught his foot. He looked down and was startled to see a familiar face. Familiar, but not friendly.

It was Pitch.

Jack gasped and tried to hit Pitch in the face with his staff. But he just swiftly moved out of the way. He smiled evilly.

"And where," he said with a scowl, "Do you thing your going?"

Then he laughed. Before Jack could make another move nightmares poured out of the trees and attacked him. He tried to blast them but they where too fast.

They dragged him to the ground. He yelled as loud as he could, maybe the girl would come back if she heard him...

But then with one mighty pull of the nightmares he was forced to the ground. His head hit a rock and his vision went blurry. He saw a pair of golden eyes staring out of the darkness, narrowed in anger.

Then everything went black.


	5. Awakening: Chapter 5

~Awakening~

Jack woke up with a groan. His head hurt terribly and his lip was stinging. He opened his eyes and couldn't see a thing. It was all black and dark and cold.

He had a moment of panic. Had he been captured by Pitch? He sat up slowly and was relieved to see that he was just covered in snow. It was nighttime now, and the moon was shining down onto the white scene.

Jack ran his fingers through his white hair and tried to shake the snow out. How long had he been out? Hours at least. He dug around in the snow for his staff for a minute and when he found it he stood.

The ice tree was sitting directly in front of him, still just as pretty in the moonlight. He flew over to it and touched the flowery ice shapes. Frost burst across his fingers and climbed all around the tree within seconds. His eyes widened. He had never been able to do that before.

He stood back and watched the frost cover the tree. He noticed that instead of covering up the flowery designs in the ice, it manipulated the look in frost on top of it.

He wiped his mouth with his hand and found it was bleeding. He must have bitten it in the fall. He looked around, was the girl still nearby? Probably not. She had looked so scared, scared of him.

He looked around for any sign of her tracks. She had been running West when he blacked out, in the direction of the lake.

He willed the winds to pick him up. He flew up into the now clear star filled sky and flew in the direction of his lake.

He looked, but there where no tracks around. He landed next to the frozen pool and listened for any noises. But it was completely silent. But then he realized, there was no way she would show herself to him. She was probably hiding right now, and Jack couldn't blame her. Pitch probably chased her after he blacked out.

Jack looked around and thought he heard a noise coming from a nearby tree. He looked up and saw a petite figure crouching down to the tree branch, trying not to be seen. He could see the fog from her breath.

He didn't want to scare her again, so he pretended he hadn't seen her. He looked in the opposite direction and yelled, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" Then he took off into the sky.

She probably needed some space. And besides, he had some questions for North.

"To the Pole!" He shouted. And in a blink, he was gone.


	6. Midnight Visit: Chapter 6

Jack flew through the quiet abandoned workshop of North. It was at least 2 in the morning, and almost all of the workers where asleep. He soared through the cold wooden hallways with ease, only slowing down to turn corners. It wasnt long before he was just outside of North's main workroom door. He rapped his knuckles on the door and then heard a loud noise come from inside. Jack took it as a signal to come in.

He peeked in the door and scanned the area for North. Then out of the silence he heard another loud noise that made him jump, a snore. Jack entered and walked over to Norths table. The man was slumped over in his chair, snoring like a foghorn. Jack sighed. How was he going to wake up this guy?

He tried prodding North with his finger, to no avail. He shook him and yelled in his ears. He even slapped him with an elf. But the man snored on.

Jack groaned. What could wake this guy up? He looked around the room and spotted a plate of cookies. He smirked and said, "Bingo."

He walked over to the plate and grabbed a rather large chocolate chip cookie from its contents. He then walked over to North and shook the cookie in his face saying, "North! Wakie Wakie eggs and Bacie! Ive got a Cookie!" The fat man stirred in his sleep at the word 'cookie'. But Jack had lost his patience. When North opened his mouth to snore Jack took action and shoved the cookie in his huge mouth.

North coughed and closed his mouth. Then he chewed the cookie and swallowed and opened up his eyes. "...Jack?" He said confused.

Then he snapped awake and smiled yelling, "Jack my boy!" And then pulled the poor boy into a bone crushing bear hug.

Jack just held his breath and smiled, he was used to this by now. North set him down and said with a grin, "So, Vat is 'up'?"

Jack smirked at the mans effort to be 'cool'. Then he answered," Not much North. I was attacked by some fearlings today I guess."

North's face got serous and he squinted at the boy and scoffed, "You guess?" Then he laughed. "Is zat why you look so bad?"

Jack frowned and said, "Hey!" Then he turned to face a large mirror on the other side of the wall. He really did look bad, his lip was split and he had a huge bruise on the side of his face. He touched it and it ached under the pressure.

North walked over to his small library in the corner of the room. He grabbed a rather large book from an upper shelf and sat down in his large red chair. He gestured for Jack to come sit next to him on a stool, and Jack flew over and sat (crossed legged of corse).

The book was where the recorded their Nightmare attacks and sightings. Mainly because it usually meant a child that was around the attack was struggling with a fear. The other reason is that if they didn't beat Pitch every so often he would get to strong and would be able to actually form his body, he usually just appeared as a shadow.

North put on his reading glasses and grabbed a pen. "How long ago vere you attacked?"

Jack shrugged. "Like a few hours ago maybe." North scribbled in the first column 'Unsure. Around 10:00 pm'

"Vere?"

Jack thought for a moment. "Halfway between Burgess and the lake." North scribbled 'two miles west from Burgess' in the second column.

"And ow strong ver the fearlings?" He questioned.

Jack paused. "Pretty strong. They pulled me out of the sky." Norths eyebrows raised and he wrote 'strong' on the second to last column.

"Did you beat them?" He asked.

Jack cringed. "Not really..." North wrote in the last spot 'overcome by nightmares'. Then Jack added quickly, "But they had Pitch! It wasn't fair!"

North looked startled by this. "Vy didnt you tell me in ze first place?" Jack shrugged and North sighed in aspiration. "Vat am I going to do vith you." He said chuckling. He then starred the attack entry and closed the book.

"Now," He said, taking off his glasses, "Tell me vat happened."

So Jack told him about everything. The snow he didn't make and the ice tree, and he told him all about the girl who was singing and how Pitch had attacked him when he had tried to follow her. North seemed to be lost in thought throughout the whole story, his head resting on his fist as he tried to take it all in.

After Jack had finished there was a small silence. Then Jack said breathlessly, " Do you know who she was?"

North looked up at Jack's hopeful face and then turned back to the bookshelf.

He stood and walked to it, taking out a rather large book. He blew off all of the dust and plopped back down into his chair. Jack flew over and sat on the large seats armrest and looked at the book.

"Jack," North said after a moment," Ave I ever told you about how people become legends and guardians?"

He flipped the large book open to one of the first pages. It had a picture of the moon, shining down onto a drawing of a man.

"Now Jack, as you know the moon chose us four guardians in the dark age. Tooth, Sandy, Bunny, and me, to scare avay the darkness and bring hope to the people, and the children.

"But of corse you know we where not always dis way. Before we where chosen ve vhere ordinary people, just like Jamie and his friends."

Jack nodded. He knew about all of this already.

"But you see Jack, Man in Moon created Christmas and Easter and the Tooth Fairy legends. He created us, and over time, children started to believe in us.

"But the thing is, there so many legends that Man in Moon has copied, that some them are never discovered or believed in, even though they are there. Just dismissed as a nursery rhyme. That is sort of wvhat happened vith you, The ledgand of Jack Frost came before your time, from Norse mythology."

Jack cringed. "So theres others out there who where like me? Alone and afraid of never being seen?"

North pondered this. Then he answered slowly, "Yes... and no.

" You see Jack, these immortal super-nateral beings live with the knowledge of who they vere, and vhat there purpose is. They live to bring joy to children and bring balance to the vorld. They are almost like the 'minor guardians'. They communicate with the moon frequently, and they do not care if they are believed or not believed in."

Then he turned to a different page. "This is the inventory of all of the 'minor guardians' we know. But Jack, it doesn't contain all of them."

Jack turned to him, "Do you think she's in there?"

North sighed. "I don't think so Jack. The description you gave me of her doesn't match any of the other winter spirits in the book. There is only two others besides you in here, but there are many others that we have never seen like her."

"Who are the ones we know?" Jack asked. North flipped to a different spot in the book. There where two pictures on each page, one of an old man in a long blue robe and one of a small girl with short brown hair in a white dress holding a pair of scissors.

"This is Old Man Winter," he said pointing to the man. "And this is Suzy Snowflake," he said pointing to the other picture.

Jack sighed. "Thats not her."

North looked at the boy and said, "Vell then. You had better go and find her!"

Jack looked at him confused. "Why?"

"Jack," he said," Pitch tried to get you to join his side once right?"

"Right."

"Well, he probably wants to get the girl on his side as well! Vy do you think he was so mad when you saw her?"

Jack looked at him surprised. He hadn't even thought of that! "But she is scared of me! I cant go and ask her to come to the Pole! Theres no way she'll come with me!"

North pondered this. Then his eyes widened and he smiled as an idea popped into his head."Vat vas she vearing again?"

Jack frowned confused. "She was wearing a dark blue dress with some lacey stuff at the bottom. But what does that have to do with anything?"

North smiled. "You remember that scarf you found last year, Jack?"

Jack's eyes widened. "Do you think its hers?

North nodded. "It would explain why Pitch wanted it so badly, he's probably been trying to convince her for months to join his side!"

Jack smiled and took off flying to the door. "Hurry up North!" He said excitedly. "I need to know her name!"


	7. You're Safe Now: Chapter 7

Pitch had known about the girl for almost a year. He had known that she had powers form the start, powers like Jacks.

Now, it had been difficult to persuade Jack to come to his side. He was strong-minded and stubborn.

But this girl shared his powers, and might even be more powerful than Jack Frost. And girls where less strong minded, more easy to manipulate because of their kind nature. But it would take time to convince her to go to his side, so he stayed in the shadows for a while, wondering how to approach the delicate yet powerful creature.

When he had found the scarf he was over joyed. He could've given it back to her and gained her trust easily. He could tell, she had loved that scarf from his observations.

Over time watching the girl he had grown fond of her, in a fatherly way. She was delicate and sweet, like the snowflake she was. She would sing and animals would follow her everywhere she went.

All in all Pitch had failed to get the scarf and Jack had damaged him with his powers. He had stayed in the shadows, formulating a plan to get the girl on his side. He built up his strength, and he had grown strong enough to even come out of the shadows.

When Jack found the girl Pitch was furious. All of that time formulating a plan could have been wasted! But when Jack frightened the girl Pitch saw his opportunity and struck.

When pitch attacked the boy and Jack had yelled out, the girl had stopped running. When she saw Pitch restraining him and pulling him down she look scared yet relieved at the same time. After Jack had blacked out the Bogeyman had turned to the girl smiling.

He said to her, "Don't worry. Your safe now!"

She had smiled weakly and waved. She whispered, "Thank you." Then she took off into the air.

Pitch smiled. It was now just a matter of time...


	8. Watcher in the Woods: Chapter 8

Jack soared through the nippy, winter morning air. He laughed as the coldness washed over his face, making him feel blissful and free. His arms where extened on either side of him, almost like he was embracing the beautiful array of color from the new sunrise. In one hand he held his long staff, and in the other a dark blue, lacy scarf that flapped in the wind along side him.

He knew that he had to hurry if he was going to find the girl he was looking for. With luck she would still be by the frozen lake. But she seemed to be on the move, so he was moving quickly. He didn't want Pitch to find her before he was able too.

After a few more minutes of reckless flying he reached his destenation. He flew lower to the ground, so he could spot her more easily. He flew past the Ice Tree, which was beginning to melt in the morning sun. Large icicles where forming from the branches already, drops of water running off.

As he flew past it he blew on the tree, covering it with enough cold to keep it from completely melting throughout the day. Then he slowed his approach as he neared the lake.

He dodged all of the nearby trees and stayed as quiet as possible as he flew through the forest. He found the trail to the lake in all of the frozen foliage and saw footprints in the new snow. He smiled, the only set of footprints where going twards the lake, not away.

He decided to land and walk the remainder of the way. He landed with a crunch and began walking to the spot where he had last seen her. As he looked around he noticed many of the bushes around the path where covered in ice, and trees had large icicles hanging from them. His main power was frost, was hers ice?

After a moment of walking and deep thought he was able to see the edge of the lake though some tree branches. To the left was the tree he had slept in all those years, a perfect place to keep watch for the winter spirit.

He willed a gentle breeze to lift him from the snowy ground and take him to the old oak tree. He landed nimbly on the hollowed out center. Then he stood still and listened, holding the scarf in his hands.

At first, there was nothing but the beautiful silence of the winter scene. But then he heard it, A small quivering note that pierced though the errily quiet air. It was her, for sure. He had never heard a voice like hers in all of his life.

She maintained the note for a moment then dropped down a few notes and began to vocalize her song from the night before. Same tune, just no words.

Jack looked all around but couldn't spot the girl. He climbed higher into his tree so he could get a better look. He sat up there a moment, looking for any movement. Then a small flash of blue caught his eye from across the lake.

He strained to see that far away, then he decided to get a closer look. He risked climbed out even farther on his branch that extended towards the lake. Then he saw her emerge from the trees.

She looked the same as the night before, only her hair was pulled to the side in a messy, loose braid. Her dress flapped in the wind and hands where down at her sides. Animals still followed her, but this time there was a larger wolf and multiple foxes. But she wasn't afraid of them, and they where not afraid of her. It seemed like they where almost, guarding her.

As she emerged from the trees she looked around for any signs of danger and stopped singing to listen. But after a moment of silence she began to hum and busy herself with the trees around her.

Jack watched as she took her necklace in both hands. He didn't see it very well, but it looked almost like there was a small crystal at the end of the silver chain. She brought the necklace up to her mouth and blew. Jack scooted closer to the end of his branch to see what was going on. His legs where tucked to his chest and he was balancing on the tips of his toes, the tips of his fingers resting on on the branch for support.

She closed her eyes and blew onto the pendant, eyebrows furrowed in focus. When she let it fall Jack was surprised to see that it was glowing, and so where her hands.

She rubbed her luminescent hands together and then placed them on the underside of a close branch. She slowly pulled her fingers down off the branch. From each of her fingers a long icicle would form. She repeated this process all over the tree until it was completely covered in icicles.

She stood back admiring her work when a baby bunny came up and nudged her ankle. She bent down and the small creature jumped into her outstretched hands. She cradled it in her arms for a moment then walked around admiring her handiwork. She brushed her hand across a bush and it became stiff and glassy on contact. She went around freezing things and humming as she worked.

After she had put a thin layer of frosty ice on every surface she looked around for something else to do. Her eyes wandered from the forest to the lake behind her. She stared at it for a moment, then gingerly she began to curiously walked towards it. Her animal companions stayed behind as she approached the frozen body of water. She stared at it for a moment with a strange look on her face. Jack couldn't tell what it was. Sadness? Longing? Fear? Well, she did look scared, terrified even.

But then she stopped walking. She closed her eyes and breathed. She stroked the bunny in her arms and tried to calm herself. Then she opened her bright blue eyes, now full of determination.

She turned and set the small bunny on the ground. He disappeared in the deep snow, but then hopped away with ease, disappearing in the forest. She turned to face the lake again, only this time she held her head high, and didn't look so scared anymore. She bent down and tightened the wraps about her feet. She grabbed her crystal and blew into it once again. Then she placed her hands on her right foot, and when she drew them away, it was covered in ice.

Jack grimaced. That would be cold, even for him. But she didn't seem the least bit fazed.

Next she took her fingers and drew a line down the bottom of her foot. A thick sheet of vertical ice formed jetting out from her icy shoes and she smiled.

Jack sat there puzzled. What in the world was she doing?

She repeated the process on the other foot, then Jack realized she was making ice skates. Out of ice!

She then undid her braid and pulled her hair up into a pony tail, then she wrapped her hair around and around untill it was a bun. She secured it with a burst of frosty ice from her fingers.

When she was done she stood and stared at the lake. She squeezed her eyes shut and stepped onto the ice with as much courage as she could muster.

At first she glided calm and strong across the ice, she must of had a lot of practice. But by the time she was in the middle she was shaking like a leaf.

This girl confused Jack so much. What was wrong? Why was she so frightened?

A small breeze came by and he turned his attention to his grip on the branch so he wouldn't fall off. One hand was now gripped tightly on the tree, the other holding his staff and the girl's scarf. Jacks eyes widened with surprise.

The scarf! He had found it in the lake only a year ago! Did this mean that she too had fallen through the ice and died like he had? He hadn't thought about that. He had assumed she was as old as he was, that she had become immortal years and years ago. It all made sense now!

He looked up at the lake and saw the girl standing now in the very middle, frozen with fear, possibly reliving what had happened before her death. 'Why did she go out there?' He thought to himself. 'Isn't she afraid?'

She closed her eyes and tried to control her shaking. She swallowed, and opened her eyes back up. Then she raised her hands above her head in a circle shape and positioned her feet heels together and toes facing out, He face fierce with determination.

Then her dance began.

Now, Jack thought that he could skate well. But compared to this girl, he would have looked like an elf on stilts trying to skate across a sea of marbles. She glided gracefully across the pond, forwards, backwards. Her hands moved swiftly and elegantly. It looked almost like she was flying across the ice instead of skating on it. Her dress flapped in the wind, and her eyes sparkled with determination.

At first she was unbalanced and shaky, but after a minute she was beaming and smiling as she glided across the ice. She would gather up speed and then leap into a split, and then land with no effort at all. She would jump and do a double spin in the air and land on one skate.

Jack watched in awe as she skated across the whole lake on only one foot, her other foot high above her waistline and her arms extended out. She then reached out to her extended leg and pulled it up hug above her head.

Jack noticed she wasn't just doing a bunch of tricks she had put together randomly, it was a full on routine that she had memorized.

She seemed to be enjoying herself as she spun in the middle of the lake, her back arched and her hands above her head. She practically radiated happiness, and it made Jack wonder why she was scared to get out onto the ice in the first place.

As her routine was ending and she was spinning her heart out, Jack noticed something was wrong. The animals at the side of the lake where getting very anxious and pacing in the snow. Some of the deer ran off and the wolves and foxes started to growl. But the girl didn't even notice, she was too busy ice skating.

Then Jack noticed something moving directly across from where he sat perched in his tree. He drew his eyes away from the skaters performance and eyed the trees, his heart pumping in fear.

Then he saw it, a nightmare hidden just so in the shade of a large pine tree, staring at the girl. But the scary thing was, Pitch was standing next to him, scowling at the girl out on the ice.

Jack looked at the girl and he saw that where the she had been spinning the ice was getting very thin. Pitch saw this too, and he sent nightmare sand set out into the snow, to the lake. He could see the shadows moving under the water, right to the spot where the girl was still spinning. Slowly she stopped, and put her hands above her head in her final position, beaming. She was completely unaware of the nightmare sand under the ice, wearing it down and making it thinner.

Then there was a loud crack. Her face went from radiant to terrified in one second and before she could fly away the ice gave way and she fell in. She barely had any time to scream.

"No!" Jack yelled. He fell out of his perch and landed on the ground with a loud thud. He willed the winds to carry him there quickly. He dropped his staff on the icy surface and stuffed the scarf in his pocket. Then without any hesitation, he dived in after her.


	9. An Icy Rescue: Chapter 9

~An Icy Rescue~

The icy water stung Jack's skin and penetrated through his clothes as soon as he dived in. He could barely see anything in the murky darkness below the thick sheet of ice on the surface. Then a bright flash of blue came from directly below him, illuminating what was going on in the depths of the lake.

He looked down and saw the girl, locked in fierce underwater combat with the nightmare sand that had broken the ice. Her necklace glowed with blue energy from the last blast of power. But her own energy was fading fast as the cold water drew the small amount of heat from her body.

She was thrashing and kicking the long back tendrils of black powder which where trying to get a firm hold of her and drag her to the bottom. Jack swam to her as fast as he could, but she was so deep down the only light he could see was the glow from her necklace. Her hair had fallen out of its bun, and now swirled around her face.

The black sand swirled around her, grabbing onto her legs and arms trying to stop her from thrashing. Then, it made the mistake of grabbing onto her glowing necklace trying to pull it off of her neck. She went into a frenzy trying to shake the tendrils grip on her and her medallion. Then suddenly her necklace began to glow a bright blue once again, much brighter than the short blast before. The nightmare sand writhed in agony at the light and fled.

She began swimming with all of her might back to the surface, but her ice ice skates were weighing her down. Jack swam even harder to her and grabbed her outstretched hand. She took it immediately, even though she didn't know who it was that was helping her.

Jack pulled her up a few feet and he reached for the light above him, his legs and lungs screaming in agony. He could feel his hand reach the surface air and he grabbed onto the frozen waters edge, pulling them up the last few feet.

Jack's head broke through the water and he gulped in the precious air. In one mighty tug he pulled the girl to the surface. Her face was pale and her skin ice cold. She grabbed onto his sweatshirt and coughed out some water and with difficulty inhaled some of the brisk air. Their puffy breaths made the air foggy around them.

She was shaking uncontrollably in Jacks arms. He couldn't tell if it was from cold, or if she was just so scared of reliving the way she might have died in her pre-life. And so Jack held her for a minute and let her shake and sob into his shirt. Her hair was plastered to her back and her lips where turning blue. Now that he was this close he noticed small ice pieces where incrusted near her eyes

He looked around at the ice. He had to get her out first; she was smaller than him and had been in there longer then he had. The ice was pretty thick all around them, so he said to her softly, "Im going to push you out on three okay?"

She sniffled and nodded, her eyes still shut. "All right."

Jack pushed her around to the ice and said, "Okay, one...two...Three!" Then he pushed her out onto the frozen top. She pulled herself up shaking with the effort. Then she swung her legs to the side and rolled onto the ice.

She gasped and pulled her knees to her chest, clutching her necklace in her shaking hands. Then tucked her hair behind her ear and slowly opened her wide eyes, amazed that she was even alive.

She crawled on all fours over to the ice's edge and grabbed hold of Jack's icy cold hand like he was going to sink. He looked up at her and her heart skipped a beat. It was the first time someone had really looked into her eyes in such a long time.

She coughed and said to him, "Ready?" Jack nodded at her. The color was fading from his face and his wet hair was sticking to his forehead and neck . She summoned a wind to pick her up, because she didn't have the strength to pull the full grown boy out on her own.

The wind picked her up, and with some difficulty, Jack too. After his body was halfway out of the water he let go of her hands and pulled himself out. He rolled out onto the ice and groaned. All his muscles ached.

He sat up and wiped the water off of his face. He reached for his staff, but it wasn't there. He started to panic and stood up looking for it feverishly, but it was no where in sight. Jack cursed himself. Why had he left it out when Pitch was nearby? How could he get back to the workshop?

Just then he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He spun around and was met with a set of bright blue eyes and a timid hug. Jack blinked in surprise, then wrapped his arms around the girl. "Thank you," she whispered.

Jack answered, "Hey, don't mention it." They broke apart and Jack saw she was holding his staff in her hands.

"Is this yours?" She asked holding it out to him.

Jack sighed in relief. "Yeah, it is. Thanks." He took it from her hands.

She smiled back at him, showing off a beautiful set of white teeth. Jack inwardly groaned. Tooth would be all over her!

Suddenly cold gust of air came by and she shivered and rubbed her wet arms. It made Jack remember he had come to bring her something.

"Hey," He said to her as he dug around in his sweatshirt pouch. "I think this belongs to you…"

What he pulled out of his pocket looked nothing like the dainty lacy scarf it was. It now resembled a wet bundle of dirty blue clothing that had been in his pocket for too many days. She cocked her head to the side as if to say, 'Why would you think that would be mine?' But when Jack unraveled it and she saw the lacy underside her face lit up and she squealed with delight.

"My scarf!" She squeaked. She took it from his hands and said, "Thank you thank you thank you! I thought it was gone forever!" Jack smiled as she held it disbelievingly in her hands.

Then her face suddenly drained of all color. "Wait, where did you find this?" She said, trying to hide the apprehension in her voice.

He answered, "I found it right here, about a year ago."

She looked at him in panic, "Did you find anything else when you found this?" She questioned.

He looked at her confused and said, "No. Did you loose something else?"

Her shoulders sank in relief. "No, I was just wondering…"

"Well. I'm sorry its wet…" Jack said. "I wasn't thinking when I jumped in."

She looked at him and answered, "Don't worry, I can fix it no problem."

She then took her necklace and tapped it to the scarfs edge. All the water on it froze into a thin layer of ice. She then crumpled up the scarf in her hands and shook off all of the broken ice shards.

"Ta-da!" She said as she held up a now dry scarf. Then she wrapped around her wet arms.

They then began to walk to the edge of the lake, well Jack walked. The girl skated across the lake next to him, pulling her wet hair up into a ponytail. They talked for a while and Jack goofed off and made her giggle. Her laugh was like the tinkling of bells.

They reached the edge and she willed a wind to pick her up and take her to a fallen log. She then turned her attention to her ice shoes.

Jack just stood mesmerized as she took off the skates. She tapped her fingers lightly in different places and the ice lobs on her feet just broke and fell to pieces into the deep snow, revealing her bare foot.

"How did you do that?" Jack asked in awe.

She looked up at him with an eyebrow raised an a quirky smirk and said, "Can I trust you?"

Jack looked startled by the question. Then he laughed and crossed his finger over his heart. "Cross my heart and hope to die!"

The she laughed at Jack and gestured for him to come to her. "Come here then, I'll show you!"

Jack sat down next to her and watched as the girl explained. "You see the flowery pattern inside the ice, with the vines?"

Jack nodded.

"Well, there is always a flower with 3 petals on it. Most of them have 4 or 5. See! This one has 3 petals right here." She pointed to a flower pattern on her ankle.

"Okay." Jack said.

"And you just have to tap each petal..." And she touched each petal lightly with her finger. "And then..."

The ice broke into multiple pieces, splitting wherever there was a design or a vine.

"Cool huh?" She said

Jack nodded. "Where did you learn that?" He asked.

She shrugged. "Picked it up over time I guess." Jack smirked and stood.

"The Man in the Moon didn't tell you?" He asked as he reached for her hand to help her up

She froze and looked at him, confusion in her eyes. "He talks to you?" She said breathlessly.

North had told Jack that the man in the moon would talk to all of the minor Guardians, especially if no one could see them. Jack had been a weird exception, but did the man in the moon not talk to all of the legends and myths he had created? Where there more like Jack?

Jacks face got serious. "Wait, he doesn't talk to you?"

She stared at him and shook her head. "He hasn't spoken to me since I woke up, and he only told me my name."

Jack and mentally slapped his brain. He hadn't asked her name! "What is your name?" He said quickly.

She bit her lip and tucked some hair behind her ear. "Its Emma."

"Just Emma?" Jack asked.

"Well, its Emma Snow," She answered. "But I guess you can just call me Snow."

He smiled. "Well, Snow, my name is Jack, Jack Frost."

"Jack…" She said, testing out the name, smiling.

Then she turned to the forest. There where some animals waiting by the trees, not wanting to get near the new male stranger. But the baby bunny came hopping back and Emma laughed and picked it up once again.

She sighed and looked towards the forest. She peered behind a tree and looked all around. "Is it safe?" She asked.

But Jack didn't even have to answer. A loud noise broke through the silence and made them both jump. It was an unmistakable NightMare neigh. It echoed throughout the woods, sending chills down their spines. All of the creatures fled in different directions trying to get away from the dreaded sound.

Emma turned to Jack her eyes wide with fear. "Where is it?" She asked. The echo made it seem like the NightMares where surrounding them from all around.

Jack grabbed her hand and said, "I don't know. We should get out of here."

She nodded and set the bunny down on the ground near a rabbit hole and he scampered inside to the safety of its walls.

She stood and Jack summoned a strong wind to pick them up. He held tight to her hand and tried to pull her up into the sky with him, but she remained grounded.

He called down to her, "Come on! We need to go!" She was holding her scarf to her chest so it wouldn't fly away in the wind. She had an uneasy look on her face.

She gazed at him tensely. "We are going to fly?" She said.

Jack gave her a confounded look. "Cant you fly?" He said.

She shrugged. "I just hover when I need to. I haven't flown in so long! Is it safe?" She questioned anxiously.

Jack noticed some black sand seeping in from the forest. They had to go now or else they would have another battle on their hands.

He held her hand tighter. "Snow, Do you trust me?" He yelled over the wind.

She looked up at him and there was a slight pause. "Yes." She called back. Her body relaxed and she didn't look so nervous anymore.

Then she let her feet slowly leave the ground and Jack pulled her up into the nippy afternoon sky.


	10. Pitch's Plan: Chapter 10

~Pitch's Plan~

A blood-curtailing scream ripped through the air, piercing the still silence of the new morning. It tore from the air any ropes that carried a faint feeling happiness or hope and left the space emotionless and hollow. It was the scream of the man who brought all fear, and all nightmares. It was the scream of Pitch Black.

And in one furious, enraged scream he let out all of his fiery frustration and anger towards a irresponsible meddlesome boy. And this boy just so happened to be the immortal spirit, Jack Frost.

Jack was flying away with his ticket to being believed in in front of his eyes, and he couldn't do a single thing about it. If he attacked them now he would be easily overtaken by the both of them. He only stood a chance if they were separated.

Pitch paced, recalculating his plans. He had been so close to getting to her. He had been planing for months for this exact moment when her heart was filled with fear. Jack just came along and ruined it without a second thought. He didnt even understand how significant the girl was.

He held his head in his hands and tried to control his fury, rationalizing that he was going to scare away his own NightMares if he continued the violent behavior.

He straightened himself and regained his composure, trying to hide his intense anger from the the NightMares. It would arouse them too much, and when they got aroused they where hard to control. He appeared to be blank of all emotion on the outside, but his fiery wrath burned evilly in his black and gold eyes as he watched the two soar into the sky, no fear in their souls at all.

He rubbed his temples and tried to think. He had to completely change his plan now. Emma was gone, and her fear was decreasing by the could feel it melting away from her body like snow in the sun, fear he had been implanting into her for months now. Now, he had poisoned her soul months and months ago with fear. It secretly had been working inside her soul, and he could tell. When he had fist found Emma she was fearless, and now she was as frightened as a helpless kitten at anything and everything. She wouldn't even dare to fly. Now she radiated courage as she soared through the skies with Jack.

Her fear had become so powerful she could have been taken over in a matter of weeks, maybe even days. But now it would take months to possibly get her back to the state she once was just earlier today. Jack had ruined everything in a matter of minutes that he had taken months and months to do. And he didnt have that kind of time on his hands to repeat the process.

He groaned and summoned his NightMare to him. He had to get out of this sun, it was giving him a horrible headache. The birds and animals had recovered from his scream and where now chattering away happily, it made him sick to hear such joy.

He had to think fast and act quickly before they reached the pole, Jack would probably fly there slowly for her.

His steed approached slowly, ironically fearful of another outbreak from his master. All of the others had run off at his scream of rage moments ago.

Pitch mounted his faithful steed and then they both melted into the ground, leaving the dreaded light from above and retreating into the safety of the inky black darkness below. Down deep into the earth, to the very lair of the legendary Boogeyman.

For a moment there was nothing but eerie silence, but as they reached their destination there was an echo of the clomp of hooves on stone marble. Black stone marble to be precise, everything in Pitches lair was black as night. Everything except for the disgusting lights that flickered on the metal globe that just had to sit in the very center of his cave. But the worst part about this source of light was that not one, not one, of those little lights flickered for him.

He dismounted and walked to the globe, glaring at it with a look of pure loathing. But there was some other emotion in his piercing gaze, illuminated by the millions of tiny lights. Longing? Loneliness? Regret?

He turned away from the large florescent globe, and squinted his eyes shut as if trying to block out the painful emotions. Every time he saw the globe was like pouring salt into one of his old wounds, a wound that would never heal.

He had to hurry, and formulate a new plan before it was too late to act upon it. He rushed to the opposite end of his lair, where his office resided. He merged into different shadows, swiftly phased through walls, and was there in a matter of seconds. He loved his home, but it was a lonely existence. His huge libraries and long hallways where empty, and he longed for someone else to be there with him.

He burst into the study and bulleted to his desk. It was a handsome room, with large stone pillars lining the walls and a beautiful black mirrored floor. An eerie green glow emitted from all the cracks in the walls and the perfect floor, illuminating the different pillars and details in the walls. But the best feature of this room was the view at the back suspended between two pillars.

It showed a dark purple galaxy, with blue and gold swirling ground in it, almost like Pitch's eyes. There where tendrils of black sand floating in the empty space, constantly changing and transforming into different positions. Yellow eyes peered out of the sand, and you could almost hear them, or it, whispering to one another.

But Pitch wasn't here for the scenery, he was here for his notes. He rushed to his worktable and sat down. The table was overflowing in his unorganized thoughts. Diagrams, checklists, sketches, charts, calculations, everything. He clawed through them all looking over the detail and trying to calculate his next move. Papers where flying everywhere as he tried to gather all of his information together . He was wasting precious time that could not be replaced.

He slumped down in his chair tried to go over all over the information inside his overloaded brain. He just had to get her back.

His original plan had been simple enough. He wasn't intending to drown the girl. But when she defied him and his fear and went out onto the ice he had to do something to put her back into her place. Her willpower was getting too powerful, and she had no fear. Her courage was strong, and he couldn't let her feel so fearless and brave, or else he would never be able to get a firm hold on her.

The plan was that the nightmare sand would pull her under until she passed out, then he would bring her back up. When she would wake up he would tell her about how he had saved her. He would have told her about how her bravery almost had killed her and how she should always be fearful or else she would die. Then she would have joined with him to make all of the other kids fearful 'so they would be safe' and they would 'never be brave and try to do anything that would get them hurt'. Something stupidly mushy and gooshy.

It was a brilliant plan, but there was one problem. One really annoying, immortal problem. A boy named Jack Frost.

Pitch groaned. He had been so close! Anger bubbled inside of him. When he got his hands on that boy he would wish he had never even been born! How dare he, a mere 300 year old winter spirit, challenge him over and over again when he was thousands and thousands of years old. He had hunted down shooting stars and snuffed them out with his nightmare pirate crew, he was feared by all things on earth, and yet this boy had come in and destroyed his perfect plan.

He tried to see what he could salvage of his panning. There had to be some possibilities that came with this new challenge. Jack would probably take her to the pole, and she would meet the other guardians. They would probably take her in, like they had taken in Jack. But how could he use this to his advantage?

Well, she would become close to those pathetic guardians. Then she would probably do anything for them... That was an advantage. And they would become close to her, and so they wouldn't want to harm her even if she became evil. And plus, he knew her worst fear. And what a fear it was! He had never felt such a powerful fear! And it only grew around Jack. That was three advantages.

Pitch smiled evilly, his sharp features illuminated in the green gleam from the walls and floor.

Maybe this would work out after all. Maybe, this was better than his original plan.

And maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't be alone for very much longer.


	11. Blind Flight: Chapter 11

~Blind Flight~

Emma was holding on to Jack's hand for dear life. The immortal boy in front of her had miraculously managed to get her off the ground, and now he was dragging her up to the altitude of an airplane. She hadn't flown so long, let alone this high up or this fast.

Jack pulled her through a large cloud, and the mist tickled her nose and made her wonder how high up they where. It was fun when they where lower, but now they where thousands of feet up and it felt like her own fear was squeezing the life right out of her.

She gulped and looked down to see how high Jack had managed to drag her. They where at least 20,000 feet up now, and going higher by the second. The houses and cars below looked like the kinds children would get on Christmas or at the toy store, only blanketed in bright new snow. Every time she saw a small doll house or a toy car she was happy, because they made children happy. But the sight of these small houses and cars filled her with nausea and made her want to puke.

She squeezed her eyes shut trying to imagine she was safely back on the ground. But it still felt like a pack of angry wolves was clawing away at her heart and the inside of her chest, and the dreaded feeling was filling her whole entire body. She could feel it rising up into her throat and she knew she couldn't take any more altitude or else she would pass out. Or at lest lose her lunch.

When had she become so scared of everything? She used to be so fearless, and now fear pledged her every day, every minute. What had happened to her?

"Jack!" She called up to him.

The boy slowed their assent and turned to her smiling. How could he be smiling? What if they fell and died! What if the wind stopped and they plummeted to the earth?

"What is it?" he said, completely oblivious to her terror. His hair was ruffled in the wind and eyes shone with pure innocence and childish glee. He hadn't ever flown with someone like this, and he had fun plans in store.

Emma pulled herself up to him. She was shaking and her eyes where wide with dread. "W-we...a-ar-are... h-high-high...enough." She said to him.

"But Snow! we aren't even at airplane altitude yet! Thats where the fun stuff happens!" He complained with much enthusiasm. He smiled and he radiated excitement.

Snow just shook in fear. She should have never let her feet leave the ground, she should have known this would have happened. Every time she did something courageous she got hurt.

Jack noticed her uneasiness and became concerned.

"Hey," He said tilting her chin so that her eyes met his. "You okay? Whats wrong?"

Her eyes where wide and her body was rigid, frozen in terror. Her knees where shaking.

She could barely speak, the fear had climbed into her throat rendering her speechless. She was able to choke out, "Jack...Im scared."

He squeezed her shaking hand. "Hey its okay. Lets go slow alright? Just don't look down."But on instinct she did exactly what he had told her not to do.

"Oh my gosh!" She screamed. They where at least 5,000 feet higher than they used to be. On instinct she grabbed whatever was closest to her, and that unfortunately just so happened to be Jack.

"Ow ow ow ow! Jeez girl! Retract the claws!" He said to her. Emma was now desperately clinging onto his sweatshirt sleeve like she was going to fall below. She buried her face into his shirt and tried to block out her surroundings.

He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her off of him with some difficulty. He noticed that a tear was running down her face. She was actually terrified.

He held her out in front of him holding onto her shoulders. "Snow," he said. "You can do this. Okay? Its going to be fun!"

She shook her head in disbelief. "No its not! Your just saying that!"

"No I'm serious! Just, don't look down. Look at me." He took her hands in his and started flying backwards.

She raised her gaze into his enchanting eyes and held it there. She knew she could trust him. She just knew.

He pulled her through the sky, and the whole time they held eye contact, his royal blue eyes melting into her electric blue ones.

In the gaze of this boy, this complete stranger, she could feel her fear melting inside of her heart. It had felt like her chest had been compressed from all of the fear inside her small body, crushing her spirit and willpower and making her helpless. But now it felt like her soul was simply exploding out of her chest and flowering in front of her eyes. Her fear slowly changed to excitement, and she started to laugh. Her eyes squinted as she smiled broadly at Jack.

"Im... Im flying Jack! Im flying!" She said between disbelieved laughs. He smiled to see her happy again. Her smile was bright and beautiful, it made his heart sing. He wanted her to always be happy, not fearful.

"Yes! Your doing it!" He replied with mirth in his voice, like he was talking to a small child. "Isn't it fun?" She nodded at him, still not breaking eye contact.

"Oh Jack! I had forgotten how wonderful it is to fly!" She said joyously.

"Well, why don't we try only one hand now?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

She frowned again. "Just one?" She said her eyes wide and un-comprehensive.

"Yes." he answered calmly.

"Really?"

"Really really."

She sighed and quickly added, "But what if I fall?"

"Then I will catch you!" He answered like it was a no brainer.

"Promise?"

"Pinky promise."

They locked pinkies and she laughed. "Okay." Then she hesitantly let go of his strong guiding hand.

He swooped in next to her, now they where flying side by side connected by their hands. At first she was wobbly and uncertain, but after a moment she was riding the wind with ease. They soared past all the towns, to the ocean. The currents where nice and flowing, and they cut through the air like a knife through butter.

She laughed and put her arms out, letting the fear completely leave her body. Suddenly everything looked so beautiful, now that she wasn't afraid. She looked down to the peaceful snow blanketed towns as they sparkled in the bright afternoon rays, like a postcard. The sun peeked out of the clouds and shined down on her cold face, and now she understood why Jack loved flying so much. It was wonderful and liberating.

Then she did something Jack hadn't been expecting, she let her hand slide out of his. He looked over at her as if to say, 'really? Are you ready? ' She nodded and smiled reassuringly.

He laughed and sped up, and Emma matched his speed and force. After a moment he looked over to her and saw her eyes where closed and she was smiling as the wind tickled her face. Her whole body radiated triumph and bravery.

After a moment she opened her eyes and looked at him. He realized he had been staring and quickly adverted his gaze and tried not to blush. She laughed at his embarrassment and poked him in the side teasingly. He giggled like a child and Emma's eyes became mischievous at her new discovery. She slowly started to approach him, giggling at his worried face.

"No, no! Im not really ticklish Snow! No! You stop right there!" Then he took off in the opposite direction yelling like a madman. She laughed and took off after him, just as fast.

She caught up with the sprite within seconds. Jack yelped in surprise and dived down to the ground, and she followed suit next him. Right before they hit the oceans freezing waters they pulled up at the same time. She looked over at Jack, and put a mischievous grin on her face. Then she lunged at him.

"No! *Laugh* Stop! *Giggle* Snow, stop it your going to make me pee! *Snort*" Jack said as she tickled him to death.

She finally took pity on him and stopped. He breathed hard, trying not to laugh still, but he would let a little giggle slip every few breaths.

She looked away for a moment and saw he had recovered, and had dropped his hand down and was letting it drag through the water below. She looked down into the arctic waters and slowly let her hand skim the cold surface. It smelled like salt and there was ozone in the air, a snowstorm was nearby. They two combined where a wonderful aroma. To a winter spirit at least.

They had made it to the pole now, in a few hundred feet a tall cliff rose up from the depths and ended the vast ocean. She looked over to Jack and saw that he was offering his hand to her. Snow smiled and took it without a second thought, expecting that he was going to help her up and over the huge cliff, but that wasn't what he did.

As soon as she took his hand in hers his face broke out into a mischievous grin. Her eyes widened in surprise as he pulled her in closer to him and slowed down. What in the world was he doing?

"Jack?" She asked. "What are you doing? Im sorry I tickled you! Jack no!" He had an impish gleam in his eye. "Oh no...Jack?..."

Then in one swift motion he scooped her up and started to tickle her. She giggled loudly and he laughed as he tickle tortured her. She thrashed and laughed madly trying to free herself from his grip.

"Jack *Laugh* You.. Stop! *Giggle* Icannotbreathe!" Jack laughed and released her go so she could catch a breath.

"Jack frost! *cough* I am going to kill you!" She yelled. But he was gone. She looked up and saw he had already taken off up the steep icy climb laughing hysterically.

She bulleted after him, but he was already over the top of the icy climb. His laughter had disappeared and now there was no noise but the roar of the waves beating on the cliff and the sound of nagging sea gulls fighting over fish.

Emma reached the top of the climb and landed in the fresh snow. "Jack?" She called out fearfully. "Jack where are you?" It was snowing so hard she couldn't see four feet in any direction. Did he just fly off thinking she was following? Or was he hiding somewhere poised to attack?

"Jack I dont want to play games anymore! Where are you?" She called with some urgency in her voice. Where was that boy?

Then suddenly out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of blue light deep within the snowstorm. Maybe it was Jack trying to tell her where he was at!

She blew into her necklace and it glowed, it could act like a flashlight in the storm. She took a deep breath and took off hopefully to the light. The storm threw her frail body around and the snowflakes where getting stuck in her hair and sticking to her eyelashes, blocking her vision. It was cold, really cold. And the storm was only getting stronger.

The glow was growing larger and brighter as she got closer, but as soon as she was within 50 yards of the light it went out leaving her alone in a blank white sea. She stopped in her tracks, maybe it would start again.

But it didn't.

She took off in the direction the glow had come from. If it was him he would still be there right? But she flew, and flew, and flew. After she had flown over 75 meters she stopped again. Had she missed him?

"Jack?" She called out desperately. She felt very vulnerable out in the open, anything could attack. She could even fly into a mountain! The snow had become so thick she couldn't see her own hand in front of her face. She could be standing on a cliff for all she knew. She would stop the snow, but this blizzard was too powerful for her to overtake alone.

"Jack where are you?" Her voice echoed off mountains of the vast Arctic plain. She was all alone in the coldest continent on the planet, and she had no idea where she was.

Her thoughts where interrupted by a loud noise. She knew that noise, it was the neigh of a NightMare. Her body froze in fear. She had to find Jack now, it was close.

She searched for some sign of Jack and saw another light, farther away in a different direction than it used to be. Was Jack trying to guide her to a safe spot? It was far away. The light was extremely faint, but it was still as visible as a lighthouse in the dark.

This time she didn't hesitate, she took off to the light with all the power she could muster. The snowfall was blurred around her, and her eyes where locked on the blue light dead ahead. She had to get there before it went out again.

But it did go out, and left her once again alone in the endless world of white and cold. She continued to fly with all of her strength to where the light had come from. But when the white snowflakes around her turned black and sparkly, she knew something was wrong.

Then a loud laugh ripped through the eerie silence, and it wasn't Jacks playful, kind laugh. It was an evil, dark laugh. The laugh that pledged her nightmares and followed her everywhere she went.

"No..." She whispered. "Not now!"

The snow was now not just snow anymore, but a mixture of snowflakes and black sand. It was falling so fast it looked like a blurry grey. And there was an endless sea of it.

She heard a loud NightMare neigh on her left side, so naturally she started flying to the right. But as she flew she realized the laughter was coming from in front of her. That horrible, cruel laughter

She stopped in her tracks, where could she go now? With the laughter in front and the NightMares in back? She was trapped with no visible way out. So, she flew up. Maybe she could get over of the clouds and fly home, or find Jack.

But there was no sign of the clouds above her, it was just darkness for miles. Thats when she saw the first NightMare, and it was directly above her. She could hear the beasts surrounding her, snorting and neighing. Only their golden eyes where visible in the grey storm. Dozens of them, just waiting for the signal to attack.

Emma froze in her tracks,and grabbed onto her glowing necklace, readying it for battle. If the only way out was fighting her way out, then so be it.

She summoned a strong storm wind to her, and she dived to the right. At first she just dodged every NightMare that came into her vision trying to just get as far away as possible. As they started following her she would send ice blasts behind her to shake them off.

She dodged and shot for what seemed like hours, but they just kept on coming. And the worst part was that the voice never stopped laughing, laughing at her struggle. It was like a nightmare come true and she couldn't wake up.

"Jack!" She screamed as she zoomed across the snow plain. Her energy was running out and she was becoming more sluggish in her attacks and dodges. "Jack, help me!" She cried desperately.

But the laughter only grew at her desperate calls. Pearly white tears rolled down her frozen face, and the cold air stung the paths they left. The fear was back, after she had thought Jack had helped her get rid of it. It had pledged her for so long, and she just wanted it to leave forever.

But suddenly the laughter stopped, and the voice spoke to her in a stern voice, like he was disciplining a naughty Child. "You cannot ever escape your own fear. I will be here your entire life, with you every day. There will always be fear. You just need to give into it, like me."

"No!" She shrieked. "No, no, no, no! Jack help me!"

And over the roar of the wind she heard a voice, a voice calling out for her. It was faint, and barely audible, but she could tell it was Jack's."Emma! Emma where are you! Can you hear me?"

She froze and began hovering backwards. "Jack Im here! Im here! Help me! Jack!" She screamed.

But she was startled when she bumped into a very hard object behind her. She turned around and looked at it, and luckily it wasn't a NightMare. But it was a mountain, and she was trapped once again. Golden eyes peered out of the darkness, completely surrounding her blocking every escape.

"Do you really he would trust YOU?" The voice whispered in her ear. "When he finds out who you really are, you will no longer be a part of his life. Besides, he's a guardian. What makes you think he will care about you? Especially after he finds out you can hear me. Besides, I am the only one who understands you. The only one in the whole world. After all the things you have done, do you think he could ever trust you of all people?" His words pierced her soul, and made her cry out in intense pain.

"Stop it! Jack! Jack!" Emma cried, trying to cover her ears to block his voice. But he was in her head, and she couldn't get rid of him. His words where true, and her heart filled with fear. This voice, this man, knew her secret. What if he told Jack?

Fear and terror rose in her throat and her chest felt heavy, her frozen heart to afraid to beat. Her breathing became labored and intense as the crippling fear enclosed her small body.

Then everything went black.

~~~

Pitch had caught the girl when she fell. It was a steep drop, and he needed her alive and well. He landed with a crunch and set her down in in a powdery white snow bank.

He sighed. He hadn't wanted to do this, but if she was going to go to the pole he had to inflict her soul with more fear now. He wouldn't be able to reach her and fill her with fear anytime like he was able to in the forest. He could only in her dreams.

He brushed the hair out of her eyes and looked at her face, contorted in pain as she experienced another nightmare.

"Don't worry. You'll give in soon, and your suffering will end." He said to the unconscious girl. "I will be patient."

Then he disappeared without a trace into the never ending white snowstorm.


	12. Lost and Found: Chapter 12

~Blind Flight~

Emma was holding on to Jack's hand for dear life. The immortal boy in front of her had miraculously managed to get her off the ground, and now he was dragging her up to the altitude of an airplane. She hadn't flown so long, let alone this high up or this fast.

Jack pulled her through a large cloud, and the mist tickled her nose and made her wonder how high up they where. It was fun when they where lower, but now they where thousands of feet up and it felt like her own fear was squeezing the life right out of her.

She gulped and looked down to see how high Jack had managed to drag her. They where at least 20,000 feet up now, and going higher by the second. The houses and cars below looked like the kinds children would get on Christmas or at the toy store, only blanketed in bright new snow. Every time she saw a small doll house or a toy car she was happy, because they made children happy. But the sight of these small houses and cars filled her with nausea and made her want to puke.

She squeezed her eyes shut trying to imagine she was safely back on the ground. But it still felt like a pack of angry wolves was clawing away at her heart and the inside of her chest, and the dreaded feeling was filling her whole entire body. She could feel it rising up into her throat and she knew she couldn't take any more altitude or else she would pass out. Or at lest lose her lunch.

When had she become so scared of everything? She used to be so fearless, and now fear pledged her every day, every minute. What had happened to her?

"Jack!" She called up to him.

The boy slowed their assent and turned to her smiling. How could he be smiling? What if they fell and died! What if the wind stopped and they plummeted to the earth?

"What is it?" he said, completely oblivious to her terror. His hair was ruffled in the wind and eyes shone with pure innocence and childish glee. He hadn't ever flown with someone like this, and he had fun plans in store.

Emma pulled herself up to him. She was shaking and her eyes where wide with dread. "W-we...a-ar-are... h-high-high...enough." She said to him.

"But Snow! we aren't even at airplane altitude yet! Thats where the fun stuff happens!" He complained with much enthusiasm. He smiled and he radiated excitement.

Snow just shook in fear. She should have never let her feet leave the ground, she should have known this would have happened. Every time she did something courageous she got hurt.

Jack noticed her uneasiness and became concerned.

"Hey," He said tilting her chin so that her eyes met his. "You okay? Whats wrong?"

Her eyes where wide and her body was rigid, frozen in terror. Her knees where shaking.

She could barely speak, the fear had climbed into her throat rendering her speechless. She was able to choke out, "Jack...Im scared."

He squeezed her shaking hand. "Hey its okay. Lets go slow alright? Just don't look down."But on instinct she did exactly what he had told her not to do.

"Oh my gosh!" She screamed. They where at least 5,000 feet higher than they used to be. On instinct she grabbed whatever was closest to her, and that unfortunately just so happened to be Jack.

"Ow ow ow ow! Jeez girl! Retract the claws!" He said to her. Emma was now desperately clinging onto his sweatshirt sleeve like she was going to fall below. She buried her face into his shirt and tried to block out her surroundings.

He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her off of him with some difficulty. He noticed that a tear was running down her face. She was actually terrified.

He held her out in front of him holding onto her shoulders. "Snow," he said. "You can do this. Okay? Its going to be fun!"

She shook her head in disbelief. "No its not! Your just saying that!"

"No I'm serious! Just, don't look down. Look at me." He took her hands in his and started flying backwards.

She raised her gaze into his enchanting eyes and held it there. She knew she could trust him. She just knew.

He pulled her through the sky, and the whole time they held eye contact, his royal blue eyes melting into her electric blue ones.

In the gaze of this boy, this complete stranger, she could feel her fear melting inside of her heart. It had felt like her chest had been compressed from all of the fear inside her small body, crushing her spirit and willpower and making her helpless. But now it felt like her soul was simply exploding out of her chest and flowering in front of her eyes. Her fear slowly changed to excitement, and she started to laugh. Her eyes squinted as she smiled broadly at Jack.

"Im... Im flying Jack! Im flying!" She said between disbelieved laughs. He smiled to see her happy again. Her smile was bright and beautiful, it made his heart sing. He wanted her to always be happy, not fearful.

"Yes! Your doing it!" He replied with mirth in his voice, like he was talking to a small child. "Isn't it fun?" She nodded at him, still not breaking eye contact.

"Oh Jack! I had forgotten how wonderful it is to fly!" She said joyously.

"Well, why don't we try only one hand now?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

She frowned again. "Just one?" She said her eyes wide and un-comprehensive.

"Yes." he answered calmly.

"Really?"

"Really really."

She sighed and quickly added, "But what if I fall?"

"Then I will catch you!" He answered like it was a no brainer.

"Promise?"

"Pinky promise."

They locked pinkies and she laughed. "Okay." Then she hesitantly let go of his strong guiding hand.

He swooped in next to her, now they where flying side by side connected by their hands. At first she was wobbly and uncertain, but after a moment she was riding the wind with ease. They soared past all the towns, to the ocean. The currents where nice and flowing, and they cut through the air like a knife through butter.

She laughed and put her arms out, letting the fear completely leave her body. Suddenly everything looked so beautiful, now that she wasn't afraid. She looked down to the peaceful snow blanketed towns as they sparkled in the bright afternoon rays, like a postcard. The sun peeked out of the clouds and shined down on her cold face, and now she understood why Jack loved flying so much. It was wonderful and liberating.

Then she did something Jack hadn't been expecting, she let her hand slide out of his. He looked over at her as if to say, 'really? Are you ready? ' She nodded and smiled reassuringly.

He laughed and sped up, and Emma matched his speed and force. After a moment he looked over to her and saw her eyes where closed and she was smiling as the wind tickled her face. Her whole body radiated triumph and bravery.

After a moment she opened her eyes and looked at him. He realized he had been staring and quickly adverted his gaze and tried not to blush. She laughed at his embarrassment and poked him in the side teasingly. He giggled like a child and Emma's eyes became mischievous at her new discovery. She slowly started to approach him, giggling at his worried face.

"No, no! Im not really ticklish Snow! No! You stop right there!" Then he took off in the opposite direction yelling like a madman. She laughed and took off after him, just as fast.

She caught up with the sprite within seconds. Jack yelped in surprise and dived down to the ground, and she followed suit next him. Right before they hit the oceans freezing waters they pulled up at the same time. She looked over at Jack, and put a mischievous grin on her face. Then she lunged at him.

"No! *Laugh* Stop! *Giggle* Snow, stop it your going to make me pee! *Snort*" Jack said as she tickled him to death.

She finally took pity on him and stopped. He breathed hard, trying not to laugh still, but he would let a little giggle slip every few breaths.

She looked away for a moment and saw he had recovered, and had dropped his hand down and was letting it drag through the water below. She looked down into the arctic waters and slowly let her hand skim the cold surface. It smelled like salt and there was ozone in the air, a snowstorm was nearby. They two combined where a wonderful aroma. To a winter spirit at least.

They had made it to the pole now, in a few hundred feet a tall cliff rose up from the depths and ended the vast ocean. She looked over to Jack and saw that he was offering his hand to her. Snow smiled and took it without a second thought, expecting that he was going to help her up and over the huge cliff, but that wasn't what he did.

As soon as she took his hand in hers his face broke out into a mischievous grin. Her eyes widened in surprise as he pulled her in closer to him and slowed down. What in the world was he doing?

"Jack?" She asked. "What are you doing? Im sorry I tickled you! Jack no!" He had an impish gleam in his eye. "Oh no...Jack?..."

Then in one swift motion he scooped her up and started to tickle her. She giggled loudly and he laughed as he tickle tortured her. She thrashed and laughed madly trying to free herself from his grip.

"Jack *Laugh* You.. Stop! *Giggle* Icannotbreathe!" Jack laughed and released her go so she could catch a breath.

"Jack frost! *cough* I am going to kill you!" She yelled. But he was gone. She looked up and saw he had already taken off up the steep icy climb laughing hysterically.

She bulleted after him, but he was already over the top of the icy climb. His laughter had disappeared and now there was no noise but the roar of the waves beating on the cliff and the sound of nagging sea gulls fighting over fish.

Emma reached the top of the climb and landed in the fresh snow. "Jack?" She called out fearfully. "Jack where are you?" It was snowing so hard she couldn't see four feet in any direction. Did he just fly off thinking she was following? Or was he hiding somewhere poised to attack?

"Jack I dont want to play games anymore! Where are you?" She called with some urgency in her voice. Where was that boy?

Then suddenly out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of blue light deep within the snowstorm. Maybe it was Jack trying to tell her where he was at!

She blew into her necklace and it glowed, it could act like a flashlight in the storm. She took a deep breath and took off hopefully to the light. The storm threw her frail body around and the snowflakes where getting stuck in her hair and sticking to her eyelashes, blocking her vision. It was cold, really cold. And the storm was only getting stronger.

The glow was growing larger and brighter as she got closer, but as soon as she was within 50 yards of the light it went out leaving her alone in a blank white sea. She stopped in her tracks, maybe it would start again.

But it didn't.

She took off in the direction the glow had come from. If it was him he would still be there right? But she flew, and flew, and flew. After she had flown over 75 meters she stopped again. Had she missed him?

"Jack?" She called out desperately. She felt very vulnerable out in the open, anything could attack. She could even fly into a mountain! The snow had become so thick she couldn't see her own hand in front of her face. She could be standing on a cliff for all she knew. She would stop the snow, but this blizzard was too powerful for her to overtake alone.

"Jack where are you?" Her voice echoed off mountains of the vast Arctic plain. She was all alone in the coldest continent on the planet, and she had no idea where she was.

Her thoughts where interrupted by a loud noise. She knew that noise, it was the neigh of a NightMare. Her body froze in fear. She had to find Jack now, it was close.

She searched for some sign of Jack and saw another light, farther away in a different direction than it used to be. Was Jack trying to guide her to a safe spot? It was far away. The light was extremely faint, but it was still as visible as a lighthouse in the dark.

This time she didn't hesitate, she took off to the light with all the power she could muster. The snowfall was blurred around her, and her eyes where locked on the blue light dead ahead. She had to get there before it went out again.

But it did go out, and left her once again alone in the endless world of white and cold. She continued to fly with all of her strength to where the light had come from. But when the white snowflakes around her turned black and sparkly, she knew something was wrong.

Then a loud laugh ripped through the eerie silence, and it wasn't Jacks playful, kind laugh. It was an evil, dark laugh. The laugh that pledged her nightmares and followed her everywhere she went.

"No..." She whispered. "Not now!"

The snow was now not just snow anymore, but a mixture of snowflakes and black sand. It was falling so fast it looked like a blurry grey. And there was an endless sea of it.

She heard a loud NightMare neigh on her left side, so naturally she started flying to the right. But as she flew she realized the laughter was coming from in front of her. That horrible, cruel laughter

She stopped in her tracks, where could she go now? With the laughter in front and the NightMares in back? She was trapped with no visible way out. So, she flew up. Maybe she could get over of the clouds and fly home, or find Jack.

But there was no sign of the clouds above her, it was just darkness for miles. Thats when she saw the first NightMare, and it was directly above her. She could hear the beasts surrounding her, snorting and neighing. Only their golden eyes where visible in the grey storm. Dozens of them, just waiting for the signal to attack.

Emma froze in her tracks,and grabbed onto her glowing necklace, readying it for battle. If the only way out was fighting her way out, then so be it.

She summoned a strong storm wind to her, and she dived to the right. At first she just dodged every NightMare that came into her vision trying to just get as far away as possible. As they started following her she would send ice blasts behind her to shake them off.

She dodged and shot for what seemed like hours, but they just kept on coming. And the worst part was that the voice never stopped laughing, laughing at her struggle. It was like a nightmare come true and she couldn't wake up.

"Jack!" She screamed as she zoomed across the snow plain. Her energy was running out and she was becoming more sluggish in her attacks and dodges. "Jack, help me!" She cried desperately.

But the laughter only grew at her desperate calls. Pearly white tears rolled down her frozen face, and the cold air stung the paths they left. The fear was back, after she had thought Jack had helped her get rid of it. It had pledged her for so long, and she just wanted it to leave forever.

But suddenly the laughter stopped, and the voice spoke to her in a stern voice, like he was disciplining a naughty Child. "You cannot ever escape your own fear. I will be here your entire life, with you every day. There will always be fear. You just need to give into it, like me."

"No!" She shrieked. "No, no, no, no! Jack help me!"

And over the roar of the wind she heard a voice, a voice calling out for her. It was faint, and barely audible, but she could tell it was Jack's."Emma! Emma where are you! Can you hear me?"

She froze and began hovering backwards. "Jack Im here! Im here! Help me! Jack!" She screamed.

But she was startled when she bumped into a very hard object behind her. She turned around and looked at it, and luckily it wasn't a NightMare. But it was a mountain, and she was trapped once again. Golden eyes peered out of the darkness, completely surrounding her blocking every escape.

"Do you really he would trust YOU?" The voice whispered in her ear. "When he finds out who you really are, you will no longer be a part of his life. Besides, he's a guardian. What makes you think he will care about you? Especially after he finds out you can hear me. Besides, I am the only one who understands you. The only one in the whole world. After all the things you have done, do you think he could ever trust you of all people?" His words pierced her soul, and made her cry out in intense pain.

"Stop it! Jack! Jack!" Emma cried, trying to cover her ears to block his voice. But he was in her head, and she couldn't get rid of him. His words where true, and her heart filled with fear. This voice, this man, knew her secret. What if he told Jack?

Fear and terror rose in her throat and her chest felt heavy, her frozen heart to afraid to beat. Her breathing became labored and intense as the crippling fear enclosed her small body.

Then everything went black.

~~~

Pitch had caught the girl when she fell. It was a steep drop, and he needed her alive and well. He landed with a crunch and set her down in in a powdery white snow bank.

He sighed. He hadn't wanted to do this, but if she was going to go to the pole he had to inflict her soul with more fear now. He wouldn't be able to reach her and fill her with fear anytime like he was able to in the forest. He could only in her dreams.

He brushed the hair out of her eyes and looked at her face, contorted in pain as she experienced another nightmare.

"Don't worry. You'll give in soon, and your suffering will end." He said to the unconscious girl. "I will be patient."

Then he disappeared without a trace into the never ending white snowstorm.


	13. Questioning: Chapter 13

~Questioning~

Within a few minutes Emma found herself sitting in a rather large room next to Jack. He was locked in a conversation with Santa, or 'North', sitting crossed legged on a tall stool, and she sat on a smaller stool on his left side. Since he was dong all the talking and she didn't really have any clue what to do, she just looked around the room. Well, half of it was a room. The other half was more like a cave, carved into the ice mountain.

Candles sat in notches on the icy walls, making the chamber seem like it was glowing. A large window sat at the back of the room, but all that was visible was the white snowstorm. Clear toys sat where scattered about randomly: Fire-trucks, cranes, cars, planes, and many other different playthings she didn't know the names of.

There was something about the room she couldn't quite put her finger on though. She felt so cozy next to the fire, and so safe even though the window showed the turmoil going on outside. It was magical, almost wondrous. But she hadn't ever been in a real house before, so that must be it.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Jack poked her in the arm. She turned to him and raised her eyebrows and said, " What?"

Jack answered, "Have you been listening?" He was covered in scrapes and bruises, and his hair was sopping wet.

"Not really…" She responded sheepishly.

Jack shrugged. "That's all right. North just asked you if you are okay."

She looked up at the large man who, surprisingly, had concern in his wide eyes. She nodded. "I guess so. Well, I'm fine now."

But these words did not ease the large man, or Jack. But she knew why, she must look a like a wreak if she looked anything like Jack. She looked across the room and saw a large mirror and practically gasped. Her face was covered in scrapes, and her arms where covered in scratches and blood. It must have been from the icy snow, and the nightmare sand inside of it hadn't helped. Jack had more coverage with his sweatshirt, but her flimsy dress was anything but good protection. There where dark bags under her eyes as well and her dress was frozen stiff from when she fell in the water. Her hair was wet and covered in snow. She looked like a mess.

"Well," She said as she wiped some blood off her cheek," I think I'm okay…"

"Ve can get you cleaned up in a minute." North said, his tone very serious. "But I ave some questions for you miss Snow."

At these words she tensed up and you could almost see the mental barrier she put up. "Questions?" She whispered.

North nodded. "Just a few."

"Um, okay." She replied.

"Vell," He sighed, "ave you ever seen Pitch before? Ave you ever talked to him?"

Her eyebrows knit in confusion and she looked at Jack. "Pitch?"

He nodded. "They guy who has the black sand and the NightMares, he wears a black cloak, and is evil and crazy. And he gives you bad dreams. Ring a bell?"

"Oh," She said as her eyes widened as the pieces all clicked together. "Pitch is his name?" She asked.

They nodded at her. Jack added, "Yeah, Pitch Black. The 'Bogeyman.' Have you ever spoken to him?" They where on the edge of there seats, waiting for her answer.

"Not really." She said. The two sank in relief. "But," She added, "He has talked to me I guess."

"What?" Jack said, nearly falling off of his stool.

North's eyes widened. "What does he say to you?" He voice was deadly low.

She grabbed onto her necklace and her protective barriers went up again. She became very interested in her feet and whispered, "I…. I don't want to talk about it."

Jack gave North a worried look and mouthed, "Oh crap."

"Snow," North said to her softly, "You do not have to tell us everything. Ve just want to know if Pitch has said anything… about you going to his side."

She looked up, relief in her eyes, but she was still on guard. "No." She answered simply.

"Promise?" Jack questioned with worry in his voice.

She looked up at him and said, "Promise."

"Vell, okay. Zat is a good sign." North said, his usual smile back. "But I ave one more question, Jack says that the moon doesn't speak to you."

She frowned. "He did once. He told me my name, but then he never spoke to me again."

"Do you have any memories of your past life?" North questioned.

"What?" She said confusion apparent in her bright blue eyes.

Jack chuckled. "I guess that's a no. Well, we had better go and find your teeth then. Tooth will know who you where, maybe."

But this didn't help her uncertainty, it just added to it. So Jack explained how teeth hold memories from childhood, and how Tooth was the tooth fairy.

North added, " But ve vill need to know when you died, it will be easier to find your teeth if we know when you lived."

But Snow's face just remained blank, so Jack jumped in, "You know? When you woke up and the moon told you your name?"

"Oh." She said. "Um…I'm not sure"

Jack scratched his head. "Well, Where did you wake up? Because I found your scarf in the water of that lake last year; so did you wake up there? Or did something else happen there?"

"I think... I woke up there..." She said. "I can't remember. It feels so long ago. Its all so fuzzy."

Jack looked at North and frowned. If she only died 1 year ago, then why couldn't she remember waking up, and where? It didn't make any sense. But he had a feeling they where not going to get much more out of her.

"Vell, aright then." North said as he stood up. "Ve had better get you both cleaned up, and get you some new clothes." He gestured to a yeti to come over to him. "Please take Snow to the infirmary, and get another yeti to find her different outfit."

Snow looked down at her dress. It was a dainty outfit, a short ruffled skirt and a top with loose straps that fell to her arms. It was covered in rips and blood, and one of the strap sleeves was completely ripped off.

The yeti grunted what sounded like a, 'yes sir!' and began walking out the door. Snow looked at Jack with a worried expression on her face but Jack smiled back reassuringly.

"I'll be there in a sec okay?" He said to her. She nodded and reluctantly followed the large creature out of the room, and the door slammed shut.

North walked over to his window with his arms folded, watching the violent storm. He just stood there for a moment thinking, and then he sighed. "I am vorried about her Jack."

"But, why?" Jack responded as he walked to the man.

"Oh, Jack. Vere do I begin?" He said as he flopped down into a chair and put his head in his hands.

After a moment he broke the silence again. "Jack, you have seen her powers, no?"

Jack nodded.

"How powerful vould you say she is?" North continued.

"Um, I don't know." Jack shrugged, "Pretty powerful I guess. About as powerful as me." Then his eyes widened with realization. She was as powerful as him. That was something scary, if Pitch got her the two of them would be unbeatable.

"You see?" North said. "She is in grave danger, and she puts all of us in danger as vell. Can you imagine if Pitch got a hold of her? Her powers and his powers combined would be disastrous. And I have a feeling she has already been infected by nightmare sand, and by her behavior I can tell she is suffering from nightmares as well. Pitch has known about her for a long time. He must be messing with her mind, she seemed so scared and she couldn't remember when she woke up. Or, she just doesn't want to tell us."

"So… What do we do?" Jack asked.

"Well," North said sadly, "I honestly do not know, I'm very busy, and Christmas is in 34 days! But," His voice was dangerously low; "You mustn't ever let her out of your sight again. Not ever Jack!"

Jack backed up his hands in the air, "Hey, I promise!"

"No more slip ups like today!" He barked. "You are very lucky she is alive and not completely consumed by Pitch right now. She is on the brink of letting the fear over-rule her system. You must always be with her!"

"Okay North, okay!" He said shocked by the man's urgency. " I will watch her like a hawk I promise!"

North sighed and opened up the door. "Alright." He said gesturing for him to go.

Jack didn't need to be told twice. He shot out the door, straight to the infirmary.

~~~~~~~

When Jack reached the infirmary he found that Snow was almost done taken care of. Her hair was dry and combed and half of it was put up. The scrapes on her face and arms where cleaned and some had large wraps on them. She had a large wrap around her stomach though.

Her ripped dress had been exchanged for some jean short-shorts and a blue tank top. She had a see through strapless top on over it all that was so long it almost went past her short-shorts. But she still wore the cloth strings around her calves, her necklace, no shoes, and the shirt had been covered in a frosty pattern like her dress.

North was used to older kids asking for cool clothes and shoes and whatnot, so he had a large compartment where they manufactured clothing.

When Snow saw Jack her face lit up and she looked relieved. One of the yetis was still bandaging her left arm, so Jack flew over to her.

"Hey, you okay?" He said to her as he eyed her many bandages. She must have taken a pretty bad beating.

"I'm fine Jack." Was her simple answer, but she wasn't fine. As the Yeti wrapped her sprained wrist her face was contorted in pain, but she was trying to hide it with a smile.

Before Jack could say anything else he was swept away by a large yeti into a different room. "Hey!" He yelled, but he was no match for the large creature. The room smelled like medication and cough syrup, and he realized it was the shower room. But it wasn't just a regular shower; it was a weird antibiotic shower. He had had it once before when he got all scraped up chasing a nightmare a few months ago, and it wasn't fun. It stung like crazy, and it smelled foul.

He groaned in protest but the yeti just showed a towel and a set of clothes into his hands and before Jack could object any further he was gone.

About 10 minutes later Jack came out in a brand new sweatshirt and set of capris, his body completely washed of all the blood and nightmare sand. But he still smelled like cherry flavored cough syrup.

Snow was done getting patched up and was waiting for him by the exit suspended in the air. Then Jack saw why, there where about a dozen elves underneath her, just watching the new visitor.

Jack groaned and ran over her. "Get out of here guys! You're freaking her out!" He yelled as he poked them with his staff. "Shoo! Disperse! Adios!"

But they didn't move, still mesmerized at their house guest. Jack lost his patience. "I will freeze you!" He yelled.

At these words they screamed and began running in all different directions. Snow laughed as they scurried away, tripping over their own feet in the escape. Jack just rolled his eyes at the annoying little pests.

"So," Snow said as she landed next to Jack her eyes bright in excitement despite her injuries, "What should we do now?"

"I'm not sure." He said scratching his head. "There are so many choices. We could freeze some elves and have an elf bowling competition, or go and set something on fire in the kitchens, or go and ride some blimps around the workshop-"

"Um, how about a tour first?" She cut in.

"Oh," Jack said smiling. "I guess that works too."


	14. Mischief Makers:Chapter 14

~The mischief makers~

The weeks at the pole were the best weeks of Snow's life. It took some time, but throughout the days at North's workshop Jack cracked through her shell. It turned out she was really fun and outgoing when she got used to you. She was witty enough to match Jack's jokes with funny comebacks and it turned out she was a pretty good prankster; She and Jack where always in trouble.

When they stayed with North they would race through the hallways and topple yetis over the banisters. They experimented in the kitchen for a few hours, and Snow made a pretty good cake with 'Jack Frost'ing. And after a few tries (Well, more than a few…) the cake didn't resemble a large black brick and Jack could eat it without needing to rinse his mouth for 5 minutes.

But the two where constantly making all different kinds of mischief: Freezing elves, Locking yetis outside, painting mustaches on North while he was asleep, and freezing the ground so they could skate around (despite the ungraceful Yetis complaints).

North would punish them every once in a while for messing up his Christmas toy-making schedule. The two were both used to painting frost on trees and windows; so North would make them paint music boxes and such as gifts. But they always ended up creating more damage than they fixed and North would just make them leave.

They didn't just stay at the pole all the time though; they visited the other warrens too. First they visited Tooth to try and find Snow's teeth. Tooth was ecstatic about Snow coming to visit, she was the only female guardian and it got lonely sometimes. As soon as they met, Tooth took one look at her teeth and the two hit it off and became really good friends. North even let Snow stay for a slumber party one night without Jack, and the two just talked until morning.

The Baby Teeth loved her too, always crooning over how pretty she was and they where constantly trying to get a peek at her teeth. They where so excited about her they left Jack alone for a little bit.

At first Snow was uncomfortable and awkward at the attention they gave her, since she had been alone and untouched for so long. But throughout the visits and the days Snow became more accustomed to touch and she became more relaxed and comfortable. But she was still pretty shy and scared, but the fear was leaving her body slowly each day.

During each visit they would search for Snow's teeth, but every time they came back to the pole with nothing. Tooth said that when the owner of a set of teeth got close to them, they would glow. But they searched through thousands of teeth, and none ever glowed. But through it all Snow just kept on saying she didn't know when she was made into a winter spirit and she had forgotten how long she had been alive. Jack didn't think too much of it though, it wasn't like she was lying, right?

They even went to go and visit Bunnymund. Well, North made them go and visit him because he was sick of them, and they could help bunny paint some eggs. When Jack and her showed up unexpectedly Bunny didn't really know how to react. He just yelled, "Jack! Why are you in my warren! I have told you a million times-" Then he spotted Snow, who had been hiding behind Jack through the ordeal. "Wait, who is the shela?"

And in time even Bunny ended up liking Snow, even though she was a winter sprite and he was practically her opposite. She was quieter than Jack, and the eggs where not afraid of her. Snow and Bunny talked and they painted eggs together for hours on end. Jack just chilled in the trees listening and making snowballs. He would throw them at bunny when he least expected it, making him shiver from head to two. Snow and Jack would laugh for so long about it even bunny would join in after a few minutes.

They even visited Burgess a few times. Jamie couldn't see Snow at first, but after Jack told him all about her he could see. And after time, so could the other kids in the neighborhood. They all liked her a lot, especially the girls.

Snow tried to hide it, but when all the kids began to see her she started to tear up a little with happiness. It made Jack wonder how long she had been alone, surely not just a year? Well, they all had some pretty fun snow days and snowball fights together.

One time when Snow was out of earshot Jamie yelled, "Jack! Where's your girlfriend?" Jack immediately pounced on him and put his cold hand over his mouth. All the kids where laughing immaturely at Jacks reaction to the question.

"Jamie! She is not my girlfriend!" He hissed at the laughing boy. But Jamie just laughed harder at his Jacks awkwardness, and Snow flew over to investigate.

"What's up guys?" She said. But Jamie just laughed harder, and so did the kids around them. "What is so funny Jamie?" She said, bending down to eye level with the boy.

Jamie opened up his mouth to say something and Jack did the only thing he could think of to stop him. He shoved him into a near snow-bank. Jamie landed in the snow with a loud "Oof!" and the kids all laughed at him.

"Nothing!" Jack yelled a little too loudly. Snow eyed him suspiciously and walked back to the snowman she and the others where making.

All in all, it had been a really a fun few weeks. But right now they where just sitting on a small couch together by the fire talking about it all. It was a pretty late hour, and they where the only ones up now. This is how most nights ended, them just falling asleep on the couch. They used to sleep in separate rooms that North had made them, but Snow would get horrible nightmares when she slept alone. So they just chilled out on the couch talking until they fell asleep, and Snow said she hadn't had a nightmare since then. But sometimes she would toss and turn and wake up Jack. When he would wake her she would say she was fine, and she must just be a restless sleeper. But Jack had a feeling she just didn't want him to worry, so she kept her nightmare ordeals a secret.

"So," Jack said to Snow as he stared blankly into the crackling fire, "What is your favorite thing that we have done so far?"

She smiled. "I don't know. Helping Sandy was cool." Jack nodded. That had been fun.

During their late night adventures they had run into the sandman one time in New York. Snow had met him before though, Sandy knew just about all of the minor guardians from his nightly travels. They rode Sandys stingray around the town for a while, Snow hadn't ever seen the NY City before. So Sandy practically gave her a tour while he spread his dreamsand about. It had been a really cool experience, riding a golden stingray through the city.

"Yeah, I liked that too." Jack responded. "What should we do tomorrow?" He asked sleepily.

"I don't know." Was her simple response. She yawned and leaned her head on Jacks cold shoulder.

Her necklace caught the light of the fire and Jack looked down at the pendent. He grabbed it and began looking it over and was shocked when Snow didn't move. Normally when he would try to look at it she would snatch it away. She must be too tired, or her eyes might just be closed

He had never gotten a really good look at it, but now that he was so close to it he saw something he hadn't before. It just looked like a crystal on a chain, but if you looked closely there was something inside the gem. It was round, and it was metal. It looked almost… like a locket.

"Hey." Jack poked the sleepy girl in the arm.

"What is it Jack?" She answered drowsily.

"What's inside of this? It looks like something is in it." He said putting the necklace in front of her face.

She opened her eyes and looked at it. " I dunno. I think there is a locket inside, but it's hard to tell."

Jack looked at it closely. "I think that it's a locket. Hey! Maybe it has a clue to your past life inside!"

"Well," She said groggily," I wont let you break it to find out. If that thing goes, so do my powers."

Jack sighed. "But don't you want to know what is in there?"

She nodded sluggishly. "Maybe my teeth can tell me what's in there. If we ever find them."

Jack scoffed. "Of course we will find them."

But Snow didn't respond, she was drifting away into her dreams. She was so sleepy, because she rarely had some peaceful sleep because of the nightmares she had.

Jack sighed, "Have you been having bad dreams? And tell me the truth!"

Snow stayed quiet, but Jack knew she wasn't asleep. She just didn't want to answer him truthfully.

He groaned. "I wish I could take all the fear in the world and just destroy it. Then people wouldn't have nightmares."

Snow snapped awake at this and looked at him. "Fear is an evil thing, but fear can be good too, right?" She questioned. "If people didn't have fear, then they would do crazy things and get hurt. Wouldn't they?"

Jack was taken aback by her answer and her new apposed question. Was fear good as well as bad? He had never thought of it like that. He had always thought it was just evil.

"I…. I don't know," He stuttered. "But I think the bad outweighs any good."

She lied back down on his shoulder, but she had a look on her face like she wasn't really satisfied with his answer.

After a few minutes her breathing became regular and deep, and Jack could tell she had fallen asleep.

Whether this was good or bad he couldn't really tell. He knew she would slip into another nightmare in her slumber; he couldn't help her from that. But for now she was peacefully sleeping, and he would watch over her until he himself fell into a deep sleep.

But as he sat there, waiting to fall into a world of dreams, her question rang in his ears.

'Fear is an evil thing, but fear can be good too, right?'


	15. Nightmares: Chapter 15

~Nightmares~

Snow loved life at the pole. She felt safer within the walls of North's workshop then she had ever felt in all her life. It was like no nightmare or any of her fears could possibly harm her when Jack and North where nearby.

But at night, it was a completely different story.

At night she would lay awake for hours like tonight, terrified of what she would see if she let herself drift into unconsciousness. Each night the nightmares became more intense, more dark and fearful.

But what frightened Snow the most was not what she saw in her nightmares. It was the fact that Pitch could be so far away from her, yet he was powerful enough to rob her of sleep even within the walls of the workshop. That he could take an event from her past, and cripple her soul through her dreams enough to keep her up all night.

But her body was weary and her eyelids where incapable of staying open every night. It took too much strength to resist the urge of sleep when she was so worn and tired from the lack of it. Jacks steady breathing would lull her to into a doze within minutes. And she fell asleep with a slight bit of comfort that he would be there when she woke up in the middle of the night shaking with fear.

Then she would loose herself into a world that she didn't control anymore, the world of her dreams. But now, it was the world of her nightmares. She was forced to watch for 8 hours straight, trapped in her own mind, unable to escape back to the world of reality.

Her nightmares normally started out with the darkness. Nothing but black in all directions, and she would walk aimlessly in it for what seemed like hours. Faces and ghosts would pop out at her, making her scream in fright over and over until she was crying out in fear. But it wasn't just random ghosts; it was the one ghost that had haunted her dreams consistently for the past year.

This ghost was the spirit of a boy, and even though she had only really known him for less than tfive minutes, he haunted her dreams every day. He was her biggest secret, and her fear was that the guardians would find out about him someday.

This ghost was a young boy, about the age of 8 years old. His hair was brown and his eyes where green. He wore a brown jacket and a pair of old snow covered jeans. She didn't even know his name, or where he was from. She really didn't even know anything about the child. But there was one thing she did know.

The boy died right in front of her eyes.

And it was all her fault.

The guilt pledged her every day, to know that there was one less light in the world because of her dreadful actions. The guilt inside of her beat her down each moment, and she could never have a moment of peace; even in her dreams. Ever since that night at the lake one year ago she hadn't had a peaceful slumber.

She had lied to Jack and North because she didn't want them to know what had really happened that night. If she told them how long she had lived, they would ask her why her scarf had been in the water. They had no idea she had been alive for so long. Nearly 250 years, but she couldn't tell them.

Her guilt was one of her biggest weaknesses, and Pitch used it to his advantage each evening. He used that scene over and over in her nightmares.

And that was where she was now, trapped inside her own mind reliving it over again. On the outside she seemed to be sleeping peacefully on Jacks shoulder, but on the inside she was experiencing her worst nightmare yet.

It started out normally, and she had no idea she was even dreaming. She was running in the forest, like she always did. She was too afraid to fly even then; Pitch had infected her soul with fear long ago. It all felt so real, the crunch of the snow under her feet, the frigid wind blowing through her hair.

She was traveling to the frozen lake she often came to this time of year, around Christmas. It was wonderful for ice-skating, and she loved to skate.

She reached her destination and took in the breathtaking sight. The man in the moon shone down onto the glassy frozen lake, and powdery snow covered the ground and trees. It was a beautiful sight, and a wonderful night for skating on the ice.

But she wasn't the only one who had the idea of ice-skating tonight. There where a few people out on the ice tonight, but that didn't matter. They wouldn't be able to see her anyway, and they couldn't run into her.

She walked out onto the ice, trying to ignore the laughter from the small group. It was better if she just ignored them. It hurt to hear people taking to one another when she hadn't had the pleasure to in her whole life. She had learned to accept the fact that her existence was one that simply wouldn't ever be believed in.

She skated around the pond for a little while, and then she noticed that there was a small boy among the people, drifting away from the safety of the group and onto some thin ice.

"Hey! That's thin ice kid!" She called to the boy. She knew he couldn't hear him, but it helped ease her loneliness if she talked to people, even if they would never talk back. She skated over to him and summoned a strong breeze to blow him in a different direction, because she couldn't touch him.

He shivered and rubbed his arms at the cold wind. Then someone from the group called out to him, "Son! Get back over here!"

He turned and yelled out, "I'm coming ma!" Then he began to ungracefully shuffle back to his parents.

"You better!" His mother called out. "A winter sprite might get you!"

The boy froze. "What? Really?" He called out.

"You heard me! Now get over here!" Was her simple reply, without really giving it a second thought.

The boy looked around like he was searching for the winter sprite she spoke of. Children believed much crazier things than their parents ever would, and he didn't understand she was just joking.

Snow just scoffed and skated away. She didn't want to get her hopes up about him seeing her.

She was about 10 feet away from him when a loud crack split through the stillness of the night. She spun around in panic and saw the boy, still standing where she had left him. Only his skates where surrounded with deep cracks. Her heart sank in dread and fear climbed into her throat.

The group went quiet and the mother screamed as she saw what was happening to her boy. The ice split again and Snow dashed over to him.

"Don't move!" She yelled. She wasn't expecting an answer from the boy, or any acknowledgement that she was even there.

But he looked up into her eyes, wide with fear at the sight of her, and made eye contact. Could he see her?

She froze. "You can see me?" She asked doubtfully.

But the boy didn't respond to her question, but she didn't need an answer. She took off to the boy, flying as fast as she could. If he could possibly see her, then she could touch him right?

She flew to pick him up, but she flew right through him.

"No!" She whispered.

The boy turned to face her again, making the ice crack more. "Don't move!" She screamed.

His cheeks shined with tears of terror, and his eyes where filled in horror. He could see her, but why couldn't she touch him?

But then she realized, he didn't believe in her. He feared her. In order to touch a child, they had to believe in you with all their hearts. If they feared you, they could see you, but they couldn't touch you. She had overheard a mother telling that story to her child once when he was scared of the boogeyman. She had been painting frost on the window and she overheard the tale.

"Hey, its okay." She whispered encouragingly trying to ease his worry. "I'm going to help you! I'm not going to hurt you. Just believe in me, okay?" He nodded, the fear in his eyes slipping away.

She flew back to him and he raised his arms to be picked up. But right before she grabbed on there was an earsplitting crack from the ice beneath his feet. The look on his face turned from relief to terror, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Snow felt a tug on her neck and she realized that the boy had grabbed onto her scarf in an effort to stay above the ice. He disappeared into the ice with a loud splash, and he took her beloved scarf with him.

"NO!" She screamed. Snow prepared herself for an icy dive, but then she froze.

It felt like a huge boulder had been placed into her chest and she couldn't move. A tidal wave of fear collapsed on her soul, rendering her immobile. She couldn't move, and the boy was drowning below. But fear clawed at her heart like an angry animal and her body wouldn't let her go in after him. It was like she wasn't even in control of her body anymore. Thoughts of doubt of surviving in the cold entered her mind, and a voice in her head just kept telling her that she was too late.

After a moment she knew the boy was dead. A boy that small size in such cold water wouldn't last more that 20 seconds. The mother screamed a mournful scream and sobbed into the jacket of a nearby friend, possibly even the father.

Snow collapsed to the ground, her hands clasped over her mouth trying to muffle her choking sobs. She just sat, staring at the hole in the ice. What had she done? Her first and only believer, and she had let him die?

What had she done?

Then suddenly her nightmare changed course, and nightmare sand poured out of the hole, straight where she sat. She screamed, and it took hold of her foot and dragged her into the icy water before she could react.

The coldness of the water felt like a thousand tiny needles. The darkness flooded down her throat as the sand dragged her deeper. But this time, Jack wasn't there to save her.

They dragged her to the bottom and pinned her against the rock bottom. A small amount of sand seeped into her soul and she screamed out in pain as it destroyed her very being. It didn't destroy her to kill though, it just wanted to keep her captive there forever, living off the terror that oozed from her nightmares.

She tried her best to fight off the sand, but her breath was running out. After so long of fighting she just gave up and she went limp as a ragdoll. What was the point of fighting anymore? She was trapped, and there was no way out.

The black sand entered her soul like a dagger and she came apart at the seams and just screamed at the intense pain. Bubbles escaped from her mouth and rose to the surface, and she wished she could go with them.

Then the world around her went black, and her very last thoughts drifted to Jack before she completely lost herself.

"You see?" Pitch said to her through the darkness of her mind. "You can never be a guardian. You couldn't even save that child from the ice." His voice was smooth like silk, but it cut through her heart like a dagger.

"You do not even deserve to be in the presence of the guardians. They protect children, and they are loved and believed in.

"But you? No, you will never be a guardian. Children will always fear you; they will always know what you did.

"As soon as the Guardians find out what you have done, they will get rid of you. What help are you to them? They don't even want you. Come to me, and you will never feel alone again."

"No!" Snow screamed at the man, wherever he was. "Stop! I will never be like you!"

But he just chuckled at her words. "But Emma dear," He said.

"You already are."


	16. Submission: Chapter 16

~Submission~

Snow woke with a scream. She bolted upright and panted, her shaky breaths coming out in puffs as she tried to calm her heart pounding in her chest. Tears streamed down her face and muffled sobs escaped her lips.

She had been leaning on Jack's shoulder and his head was rested on hers when she woke with a start. When she sat up so suddenly she and Jack bashed heads together.

Jack groggily groaned in pain, clearly still asleep. He leaned back down on the arm of the chair and immediately fell back into his deep slumber. His long arms where spread out, like a bird in flight, draped over the couch. He looked absolutely ridiculous with his face all mushed up against the pillows.

Snow let out a shaky laugh at the sight, but she was still trembling. She tried to reassure herself she was back into the world of reality, but her sanity was slipping away from her. There was no way she would be able to sleep any more tonight, and it wasn't even close to morning.

She pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged them, trying to calm her sobbing. Was she really like Pitch? Was she never meant to be believed in, or only to be feared?

After a moment Jack started to stir at the noise of her choking sobs. Snow quieted herself, she didn't want to wake him; but secretly she hoped he would wake up.

Jack rolled over and opened up his eyes. Snow froze, maybe he would go back to sleep. But a small sob she had been holding back broke through her lips before she could stop it. Jack looked over at her and his eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"Hey," He whispered, "You okay?" He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

She put on a fake smile and said, "Oh me? Yes. I, I'm fine." But Jack saw the tears in her eyes and he wasn't fooled.

She looked down and said, "Just go back to sleep Jack. I'm okay."

"Did, did you have a… a nightmare?" He asked. He looked drowsy, like he wasn't really all the way woken up yet and he wasn't really processing what was happening. His eyes where drooping and glazed over, not his usual bright blue color. He probably wouldn't remember any of this when he woke up.

"No! I didn't have a nightmare. I just…got up for a drink and stubbed my toe. It hurts really bad." She said it like she was talking to a small child.

"Ouch." Jack replied. "Well, I'm going back to bed. Goodnight." Then he ungracefully plopped down into the pillows. Snow smiled at his strange position. He was such a child at heart, cuddling a pillow like a teddy bear.

After a moment of watching him she looked around the dark room. The fire was out, and the moons rays sent ghostly shadows across the floor. She didn't want to just stay there on the couch; she would without a doubt slip into another nightmare if she fell asleep. But she couldn't stay there just watching the darkness when the faces of her past where so vivid in her mind.

Jack stirred and grunted. Then he peeked one eye open and whispered, "Snow? You awake?"

"Yes." She answered, relieved that she had some company.

"I can't go back sleep." He said, rubbing his eyes.

Snow smirked and said, "Well, sucks for you."

Jack flapped his hand in front of her face like he was mentally slapping her. They both laughed and she pushed him off the couch. He yelped and landed on the floor with a small thud.

"Hey!" He said, as he sat up on the wood. But Snow just laughed harder when she saw he had a bad case of bedhead. His hair was sticking up in all different directions.

Snow ruffled his hair and laughed saying, "Nice hair."

But he didn't even mind, he just gave her a goofy grin and laughed, messing up his hair even more. He climbed back onto the couch and yawned.

"What time is it?" He asked.

"I don't know, like 1 or 2 in the morning. You should go back to bed." She said, handing him a blanket.

Jack got a puzzled look on his face and frowned. "Aren't you going back to sleep too?" She had dark circles under her eyes, and she seemed drowsy. There was no way she was fully rested.

She shook her head. "No, I think that's all the sleep I'm going to be getting tonight. But you should go back to bed."

Jack shook his head. "No, you shouldn't be alone."

Snow smiled weakly and said, "Its okay. Go back to sleep, I want you too!"

Jack got a mischievous smile and said, "I have an idea, lets made a deal."

Snow gave him an odd look and raised her eyebrow. "What is it?"

Jack gave her a cheeky grin and said, "I will only go to sleep if you sing a song!"

Snow groaned and shoved her face in a pillow. Jack had been trying to get her to sing again ever since she came to the pole. She always refused, but he never gave up.

"You're the one that woke me up, and I was in the middle of a really cool dream! You owe me!" Jack said defensively.

"But I don't even know any lullabies!" She protested looking up from the pillow she had her face buried in.

Jack punched her softly in the arm. "I know you know some lullabies! I heard you singing one last month!"

Snow pursed her lips and pinched Jack's nose. "Is that the only way you will go back to sleep?"

"Mm-mm!" He said with a satisfied face.

Snow sighed in defeat and looked up at Jack's face. "Fine." She said grudgingly.

"Ha-ha!" Jack yelled triumphantly, pulling the blanket up into his lap. He rested chin in his hands and watched her, waiting for her to begin for her to begin.

"I don't know any real lullabies though..."

Jack shrugged, "Just sing a song!" He said.

Snow took a deep breath and leaned back onto the pillows, tucking her hair behind her ear. Then she closed her eyes and began a song she had once heard a mother singing to her child a few years ago.

"The other day you asked me to  
Tell you how much I love you.  
Oh, but words so often fail  
To describe the depth and scale.  
And even though it may sound cliché,  
Ill tell you now in my simple way."

Snow's eyes where closed and she didn't see that Jack was smiling brightly, his eyelids drooping as her dainty voice lulled him to sleep.

"My love is as true  
As the oceans are blue  
And I'll always feel this way  
Just listen to the beating,  
That keeps repeating  
My heart wants to say.  
Like Gala and Dali,  
Its you and me  
Forever and a day.  
Forever and a day,  
Always"

She opened her eyes and saw Jack's eyes where glazing over and she smiled.

"You watch me turn out the light,  
Wrap my arms around you, say good night.  
Trace our shadows on the wall.  
Thank God for the miracle of it all.

"The road of life winds  
With the passing of time  
I can hear you say  
How can hearts know  
Where love will go  
Beyond today."

Jack was slumped over now, and his eyes where nearly closed.

"Just listen to the beating,  
That keeps repeating  
My heart wants to say.  
Like Gala and Dali,  
Its you and me  
Forever and a day.  
Forever and a day,  
Always."

She finished and all was quiet again, the only noise being Jack's deep breathing. It made her feel less scared when she sang, but now she was all alone again. The fear crept back into her brain and she knew she couldn't stay there in the darkness.

She stood up and took a walk around the workshop. Her footsteps on the wood floor echoed, so she flew. Everyone was asleep, it must be really late if there where no workers out. The lights where all off, but she knew one light that would still be on.

She flew into the globe room, the golden glow from the orb reflecting onto the walls and making the room glow. She climbed over the banister and sat staring at the large sphere of light.

The thousands of individual lights flickered, but never faltered. Jack had told her that the lights where all the kids in the world who believed in the guardians.

Snow sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear. It must feel nice to be believed in by so many children, to be able to touch all those kids and play with them. To never be fearful of being left alone and forgotten.

A small tear traced down her cheek and Pitch's words echoed in her mind.

"You can never be a guardian. You couldn't even save that child from the ice. "

She tried to block out his voice, but she didn't have control of her mind anymore. No one else could her him but her.

"You do not deserve to be in the presence of the guardians. They protect them. But you? No. You will never be a guardian." His voice was a scornful whisper in her brain.

Was she in the wrong? Being here at the pole with North and Jack, who where guardians of the children? What would they think of her if they knew what she had done? Would those lights ever glow for her?

"As soon as they find out what you have done they will get rid of you. What are you to them anyway?"

At this she her tears began to fall more freely. She had been alone for so long, she couldn't bear to have to go through all of that again. To have friends and companions, then to just have it stripped away from her before she could really have a chance to enjoy it. The thought of being alone again made her overwhelmed and empty. Would Jack leave her alone? Would she ever feel wanted?

Where these words in her head lies, or truths?

"Come to me." Pitch voice said softly. "I believe in you, and I forgive you what you did. Come to me, and we can work together. You will never be alone again; we can be a team, forever. "

Her head shot up at these words. It was just like her song… forever and a day.

"Forever?" She whispered.

"Forever." Pitch replied.

And her mind, weak from lack of sleep, faltered. Her body was so worn, and she knew submission was the final option. Desperation took over, and she wasn't thinking straight. She had fallen into one of Pitch's most deadly mind games, and had lost. She had fought for many weeks, even months. But her will had been broken.

She flew back into the room where she and Jack slept. She rushed to the nearest window and cracked it open. The cold winds flew in, and she heard Jack make a small noise from across the room.

She turned to him and reconsidered. What was she doing? Would Jack ever leave her? He said he never would.

But Pitch sensed her weakness and said, "What him? He is just a child, and you are his plaything. He will grow tired of you, and move on. Leaving you broken, and all alone."

She twitched at his words as they pierced her heart. Was she just his plaything that he would grow tired of? Would he just leave her without a second thought?

"Emma, I'm waiting."

She closed her eyes tight and tried to block out the tears. Was Pitch the better option? He already knew her secret, and he promised he would never leave her alone. But Jack didn't know about what really happened that night. And she wasn't sure if he would leave her when he found out- but Jack seemed so trustworthy.

She closed her eyes to block out Pitch's influence in her brain and grabbed onto each side of the windowpane. Was she going to leave? Was she going to stay and endure the nightmares for who knows how long?

She sighed and felt the cool breeze on her face. It rejuvenated her and woke her up a little more. She sank to her knees and rested her head on the window ledge, propped up by her arms.

Images flashed in her brain of Tooth, and their sleepover. She thought of her and Bunny painting eggs while Jack threw random snowballs, and North and Sandy's kindness to her. Would they ever leave her?

She smiled and wiped away her tears. No, they wouldn't. She believed in Jack, he knew what it felt like to be alone. She had had true friends all along, but she had been too scared to realize it. These happy thoughts entered her mind and drew out all the fear and desperation Pitch had made her feel.

Suddenly a wave of fatigue washed over her. She yawned and felt her tired body slipping back into her dreams. But she wasn't that scared anymore, and she knew she could withstand any nightmare now. Maybe.

But she didn't see the nightmare sand seeping the side of the window.

She stared up at the stars as the world around her went black and her eyelids slowly fell. And for the first time in a long time, she slept peacefully. Visions of snow-days, Easter eggs, slumber parties, and golden stingrays filled her mind.

But that lasted about 3 minutes.

Suddenly she felt something grainy being sprinkled on her skin, and then her peaceful slumber was ripped from her right before her eyes. All of her comfort was gone, and she felt venerable and open. She squinted her eyes shut and winced in fear as her happy dreams all disappeared. They where replaced with other thoughts that where not hers. She was in such a troubled sleep, she didnt feel a pair of arms pick her up and carry her out the window.

Flashes of memories collided in front of her eyes. Some of them where fake, but she didn't know which ones where the ones Pitch wanted her to believe and what ones where real anymore.

After a moment she had even forgotten she was dreaming. Her sanity had been broken, and her mind had been completely taken over.

The world around her went pitch black and a kaleidoscope of images washed through her mind.

She saw her and Jack playing with all the kids in Burgess, painting eggs with Bunny, and hanging out with Tooth. But now her memories where distorted, Pitch had messed with them. There was no line between truths, and lies. Between reality, and her worst nightmares.

She saw Jack leaving her out in the snowstorm when she got lost, and her calling out for him for hours on end. But this time he never came back.

She saw herself, building snowmen with Jack, Jamie and Cupcake. But then Jamie ran right through her when they where playing tag, and Jack looked at her with a look of disgust on his face. All of the children ran away from her, leaving her standing in the middle of a field covered in unfinished snowmen.

She saw herself going to Tooth's palace, but this time Tooth yelled at her and kicked her out when she accidentally froze one of the baby teeth.

She saw Bunnymund, chasing her with his boomerangs in hand shouting, "Stay away from my tulips! You'll freeze them all to death!"

She saw North locking her out of the workshop late at night in the middle of a horrible blizzard.

Then she saw the worst of all. Herself, wandering through the forest all alone. Afraid of what might pop out at her, because her sleepy mind was seeing things. It was just like before, except now she knew what it had felt like to be believed in. But all her companions and the small amount of children's belief she had once had was gone

And then out of nowhere, Jack showed up in the darkness ahead, his blue eyes bright and lively. She shouted his name and ran to him, crying in relief. But at the last second he raised his staff and shot her with a blast of frost, knocking her to the ground, frozen, confused, and in pain.

He stood above her broken form and yelled, "I trusted you! You traitor!"

He blasted her again, and now she was completely frozen. Incased within an icy cage, unable to move.

He scowled at her and whispered; "Now you will never hurt another child, ever again."

She tried to cry out to him, but her body was frozen. Then he left, so she could live the rest of her life trapped within an ice chamber watching the world from the inside.

She saw herself, sitting there for years all alone, in the darkness. Seasons changed, holidays past. But she never moved, and she was never visited.

She woke with a jolt, gasping for air. She huffed and choked as her body tried to breathe faster that she could handle. She was covered in a cold sweat and tears where dripping down her face. Her heart pounded in her chest and she was grasping her necklace madly.

She was surprised to see that she was sitting in the middle of a large snowfield. The moon shone down on the snow, but it was barely visible through the snowfall and storm clouds. How had she gotten here? She had just been in North's workshop. Or had she? Had those images been nightmares, or real memories.

She looked down and saw her flowing over shirt was torn at the bottom and she was on a large sheet of ice. She shivered intensely at the contact with the cold on her skin.

She stood, but stumbled as her quaky knees buckled under her. She fell down onto the ground, hard. In an effort to ease her fall she put out her hand. It broke her fall, but it probably broke her wrist as well.

She screamed cradled her arms and curled her legs up to her chest for warmth. She tried to summon a strong wind to carry her away quickly, but all she could manage was a small breeze that barely picked her up off the ground. She hovered around, searching for anything that could attack.

"Hello?" She called out into the swirling white abyss. "Help!"

She wandered through the large plain just calling out for Jack, or anyone that could possible hear her. After what felt like an hour she began to call out more desperately, and after a while longer she was to horse to scream anymore. It was just like her nightmares, she was all alone all over again.

She became too weak to ride the breeze, so she dropped to the ground and walked. It felt like she had been walking in circles, not getting anywhere new. She stopped and just stood in her place.

She sniffled and stroked her broken wrist, shaking uncontrollably. She started humming to herself, and singing her song for comfort.

"Just listen to the beating that keeps repeating,  
My heart wants to say,  
Like Gala and Dali,  
Its you and me,  
Forever and a day.  
Forever and a day,  
Always."

She choked on the last words and fell to her knees, silent.

Then from behind her she heard a voice, crystal clear. "I just wanted to help."

She recognized that voice anywhere. It was Pitch.

Her eyes widened, but then narrowed in anger as he continued. "They would leave you eventually. They have no idea what it is like to be alone, frightened. Not believed in.

"But I do."

Her necklace was glowing a bright blue as well as her eyes. Burning white fury coursed through her veins and her heart pounded. She stood and launched an ice blast with all her might at the spot where his voice had come from.

"How could you possibly understand?" She screamed at him. Her anger was so strong she was able to fly to him, his black silhouette a beacon in the white storm. He summoned a wall of black sand to absorb the shock from the blast she shot at him and he and fired his own blast of nightmare sand at her.

"How could I understand? How could I understand!"? He screamed at her firing blast after blast at her. She landed on the ground and flung herself to the side right before one hit her, then she took off into the air and nightmare sand exploded where she had been standing one moment before.

"I know what it is like to be alone! To be feared!"

Snow screamed and bulleted to him, her eyes bright blue. Pitch hadn't been expecting her to make the move of a physical attack. At the last moment Pitch summoned a wall of sand to protect himself from her assault. She blasted the wall with ice and then smashed through it, sending ice chunks and ice powder everywhere.

She panted and landed, looking all around for him. Then his voice broke the silence again, "I know what it is like to fear that you will always be alone! That you will never be seen, and that everyone will forget about you!"

Snow stopped and a tear ran down her face. She quickly brushed it away with her good hand before Pitch could see she was crying.

"We don't need to be alone, we can work together!" He said softly.

Snow waited a moment for his voice, but there where no other sounds spoken. The air cleared and all of the powder sank to the ground, but Pitch was nowhere in sight.

Snow couldn't tell if she was relieved that he was gone, or afraid because she was alone again.

A strong wing blew and the snowstorm started up again. She was so weak and tired, and her faith in Jack faltered. Would he ever find her, or would she die alone out here on the snow plain? The thought made her chest tight with terror. That was her biggest fear, to die alone. She was delirious from lack of sleep and the pulsing ache in her wrist.

"No! Please!" She screamed out, clutching her cold arms. "Don't leave me! Please!"

There was no response. She collapsed to her knees and sobbed in despair. Her biggest fear was coming true. She was going to die alone, fearful, and forgotten by everyone.

She shook in compulsive sobs and she held her head in her hands. Then she felt a cold hand softly placed on her shoulder.

She looked up and saw Pitch, and she held her breath, worried he would disappear. Then in one second flat she had lunged onto him, crying into his shirt.

Between sobs she choked out, "P-please don't l-leave m-m-me!" She cried.

Pitch stroked her hair. His touch wasn't as she thought it would be. She had imagined him to be cold, and all that he wanted would be to inflict fear into the hearts of children. But his touch was warm and sorrowful, like a grieving father who had lost his daughter.

He held her until she stopped crying. Then he said, "You don't need to suffer, just give in to the fear and then all of this pain will be over."

Jack had told her she couldn't trust Pitch, but Jack couldn't save her from the nightmares, or end her pain and suffering. And that was all she wanted.

Pitch continued, "We can work together, and you will never be alone ever again. I will always stay by your side."

Snow sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Really?" She asked.

"Yes!" He said. "And I just know that children will believe in you. In us."

Snow pondered this and shook her head. "No. They would fear us."

Pitch shrugged and said, "What's the difference?"

Snow didn't say anything, but she knew the difference. And he didn't want to be feared, she wanted to be believed in. But then again, it was better than not being acknowledged at all.

Snow looked up and Pitch and said, "But I don't want to hurt Jack, and the children. And the guardians."

Pitch thought for a moment then spoke, like he was speaking to a small child. "Snow, how did the world begin? How was it when you woke up?"

She pondered this. Then she said, "It was cold, and it was dark."

"And so how should it end?"

Snows eyes widened and she said, "The same way?"

"Yes!" Pitch exclaimed. "You see, we where meant to work together. Cold and dark. But the other guardians bring light and warmth. We cannot work together in harmony if they are here as well. We have to get rid of them."

Snow shuddered. "Even… Even Jack?"

Pitch frowned. "I… I suppose you could try to get him on our side, then we could all work together and we wouldn't have to kill him. How does that sound?"

"But, I still don't want to hurt any of them." She said.

Pitch stood back and tried to access the situation.

"Well," He said," You could give me your necklace, and I could do all the work."

Her hands shot up to her necklace and she immediately said no without a second thought.

Pitch shrugged and started walking away from her. "Where are you going?" She called after him.

Pitch turned to face her and said, "You don't want to work together, so why should I still be here?"

"Wait!" She called out to him, running to him desperately. She unhooked her necklace and handed it to him.

Pitch smiled and put out his hand to receive it. She placed it in his hand with some hesitation, and pulled away.

As she let go of the chain she could feel her powers draining from her. Suddenly she felt how cold she really was, and how tired.

She collapsed into the snow and nearly passed out. But Pitch's scream woke her up; it was so loud and shrill.

She looked and saw he hadn't screamed at her fainting, but because his hands where singeing and smoking.

She looked up at him confusedly, wondering what was happening. Then she saw that her necklace was glowing a bright blue, burning his hands where it touched.

Pitch threw the necklace on the ground and cradled his burned hands. Snow reached out and picked it up. It immediately stopped glowing and she could feel the power surging into her body.

She reached up and clasped it back onto her neck and stood with some difficulty.

"Are you okay?" She said as she saw his raw hands.

Pitch growled and glared at her. "What did you do to it?"

She backed away from him, surprised by his anger. "I-I didn't do anything! I'm sorry!"

Pitch stood and brushed off his clothes. "Its okay. I guess we are going to have to do this a different way."

"There is another way?" She asked drowsily. She was getting really tired, and she was on the brink of passing out again. She just wanted to go to sleep and never wake up.

"Yes." Pitch said, summoning some black sand to his hands.

Suddenly Snow's knees buckled underneath her and Pitch caught her before she fell. She looked up at him, a grateful expression on her face. But then it turned to horror as she saw that he had a dagger in his hand forged of black sand, poised directly at her chest.

She looked up into his golden eyes; tears of terror streaming down her face.

His piercing gaze turned soft as he realized how frightened she was. She stood frozen in front of him, shaking in fear. But then she did something that surprised him.

She stuck out her chin and puffed out her chest, trying to be brave. Then she closed her eyes, preparing herself for the attack. She was too weak to fight him off, and she knew that it would end her suffering. Her body was to tired from the lack of sleep from her nightmares. She was just done fighting anymore.

Pitch stood stunned with her display of bravery. His heart ached because he knew that this would hurt the poor girl, but it would end her suffering as well. He just had to make it quick.

He squinted his eyes shut and in one jab the nightmare dagger was wedged into her chest.

She screamed a loud, spine-curtailing scream, her whole body tight in extreme pain. Her eyes where wide, staring up at the sky. Watching the stars.

She felt the grains of sand climb over her body, covering her completely. She could feel the fear in her chest, so intense she felt like she was going to peel apart.

It was like she was being forced out of her own body, and she was losing. Her vision started to go blurry and she cried out in despair. There was no way she would win this fight. She just decided to give in, and let the sand overrule her body.

But suddenly, she felt all the fear in her soul just disappear. After it left her soul she felt like flying, and peaceful for the first time in a year. She closed her eyes and saw a bright golden glow underneath her eyelids.

Then she stopped feeling all together and the world went completely black.


	17. Without a Trace: Chapter 17

~Without a Trace~

Jack stirred and yawned, the pillows around him falling down to the floor. He opened his eyes and winced at the light that poured into them. It was morning.

He sat up and stretched for a moment, and rubbed the sleepy out of his eyes.

"Hey Snow?" He said groggily without looking at her, "Are you awake?" He waited for a response but he didn't receive one. That was strange; she usually woke up before him. She must be asleep.

He looked over, expecting to see her dreaming form. But he was surprised to see that the couch was empty, and she was nowhere in sight.

His eyes widened and he stood. Had she gotten up already for breakfast? She normally waited for him and they would race there together.

"Snow? Snow! Where are you?" He called out as he ran through the workshop. It wasn't like her to just leave him since North said they always had to be together for her protection.

"Hey Phil!" He yelled as the yeti passed him. He was carrying a large dollhouse in his trashcan lid sized hands, but he stopped and grunted a hello anyway.

"Hey buddy, have you seen Snow? I can't find her." The yeti shrugged and gestured to the cafeteria. Maybe she was just eating breakfast.

"Thanks." He said as he ran off in the direction the yeti had pointed him. He entered the loud busy room and searched for Snow. The round tables where filled with elves snacking on cookies and yetis speaking to one another in grunts. The room smelled like pancakes, syrup, and sweets. But Snow was not among the eating creatures.

A loud voice boomed from behind him, causing him to jump back in surprise as a large hand was clapped on his back. "Jack! Good morning!"

It was North, and he seemed to be in a very good mood today. Jack smiled back and said, "Good morning North!"

North smiled cheekily and looked around the bustling room, probably for Snow.

"Vere is Snow?" North asked with a puzzled expression, like he couldn't understand why she was away from Jack.

"I don't know North," Jack said shrugging. "I woke up and she was gone. I was just looking around, have you seen her?"

North's face went serious. "You do not know vere she is?" His voice was deadly quiet whisper. Snow knew that she wasn't allowed to leave Jack, for her own safety. And she never had before.

Jack shook his head no and North straightened himself, and cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone.

Jack plugged his ears to soften North's booming voice. "Listen up!" He yelled to the yetis.

They all went quiet and stopped what they where doing so they could hear what North was saying.

"Has Snow been down for her breakfast this morning? Or has anyone seen her?" He questioned, much quieter this time. The yetis looked at each other and shrugged. Some of them shook their heads no and muttered under their breath. But none of them nodded, and that was all they needed.

Jack hadn't really ever seen North run, except when they where in battle. But when Jack turned around he was gone, 30 feet away in a dead sprint to the main room.

"Hey, *Pant* wait for me!" Jack called as he ran after the man.

Jack caught up to North a few minutes later in the control office. He was making an announcement over the intercom that was hooked up to every room.

"Everyone, stop vhat you are doing!" He yelled into the microphone. Jack raised his eyebrow. Christmas was in a little more than a week, and North didn't have the time to tell all of his workers to stop what they where doing. This must be serious.

"This is a code 4256! I repeat a code 4256! Everyone stop vhat you are doing, this is not a drill. Production will resume within less than 20 minutes. Report to your station groups. Group Alta searches outside, Group Bata searches in the west wing, and group Delta in the east wing. This is not a drill."

Jack let out a low whistle and said, "Isn't that a bit much North?"

"No!" North snapped at Jack. "I don't even think it is enough!"

He turned back to the speaker and barked, "Whoever finds anything gets their job switched to taste tester in the kitchens automatically!"

Jack heard some yetis squeal in delight from down the hallway, and he could tell that their searching became more frantic and urgent as they all competed for the prize of a new job.

"North, buddy!" Jack said chasing after the man who had taken off yet again. "She is probably fine! Maybe she is taking a stroll around the workshop, or painting something! She said she couldn't sleep last night, so she probably went somewhere to find something to do!"

North froze and turned to Jack, his eyes furious. "Vat?"

Jack stopped in front of him and said, "She might be taking a walk, or painting?"

"No! Before that!" North said irritably.

Jack scratched his head and said, "Um, she had a hard time sleeping last night?"

North bent down to eye level with the sprite and said, "How do you know that? Vat happened?"

Jack said, "I don't know, it is a little fuzzy. I was really tired. I woke up and she was… she was crying. I asked her why and she said she stubbed her toe. Then she told me to go back to sleep, and I said I didn't want her to be alone. But then she sang a song and I fell asleep."

North straightened himself and whispered, "You left her alone, and went back to sleep?"

Jack nodded sheepishly. Now that he thought about it, it had been really stupid to leave her alone.

North pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes in deep thought. "Jack." He said after a moment.

"Yeah?" He replied.

"You are, by far, the densest person I have ever met!" He said in a grumbly, annoyed voice.

"Its not my fault! I was tired! It was like 2 in the morning!" Jack yelled back defensively, waving his hands in the air.

But North didn't have the chance to respond. A yeti burst in through the doors, pointing madly to the west wing hallway. He yelled something in a yeti tongue and North's eyes widened.

"Vhat?" he whispered.

The two guardians took off after the yeti. They ran for a few minutes, then Jack realized where they where headed. They where going to the room where she and Jack usually slept.

They burst into the room and found a huddle of yetis all bunched around a single window. Jack's heart sank and North yelled for them all to move, pushing them out of the way.

The window they had been huddled around was cracked open, just barely. The only thing that was keeping it open was a small piece of fabric; tinted blue and very thin with a frost pattern on it.

North looked over at Jack, his eyes wide and fearful. Jack opened the window and pulled out the piece of fabric. It was from Snow's over shirt, torn from the bottom, he was positive.

"Why didn't the alarm sound when the window was opened?" Jack asked, staring at the blue fabric in his hands. North had the pole on lockdown, mainly because the elves where so stupid that they would open up the windows and topple out, falling to the snow below. But the main reason was Pitch, and their need to protect Snow from him. Ever since she had arrived North had made security even tighter so she would be safe.

North stepped forward and inspected the window. "I do not know. Vhen the latch on the window comes out of its spot and opens a censor detects the movement. That makes the alarms go off."

North peered into the spot where the latch was supposed to be locked into. His eyes widened and he shouted, "Borski Coufsingitch!"

Jack shoved North out of the way and looked at the window. The reason the alarm didn't go off when the window was opened was in plain sight. It was because there was a latch made of black sand in its place, so the censor wouldn't be triggered when the real one slid out of its spot.

Suddenly the perfectly crafted nightmare sand moved, sensing it had been detected. It lost its shape and melted down the window, blowing away in the wind.

"Pitch." Jack whispered, a mixture of fury and fear burning in his eyes. His grip on the fabric in his hand tightened in anger.

"Zis is very bad. Very bad…" North mumbled under his breath.

Jack threw the fabric on the ground and took off the window. "I've got to go find her!" He yelled.

North jumped forward and grabbed Jack's hoodie to stop him from getting away.

"No Jack!" He called out to the winter sprite, who was now outside the window. The only thing that was separating him from taking off into the skies was North's grip on his sweatshirt.

"What?" Jack asked irritably.

"Jack, it is too dangerous. If Pitch has already taken over Snow then they will defeat you with their eyes closed! It will not be a fair fight!" North yelled over the wind.

"No! She is fine, and she needs me! This is my fault and I need to fix it by myself!" Jack yelled at the man, trying to shake his hold loose.

"Jack no! We can organize a search party! The baby teeth can help!" North called out.

"We don't have time for that! North, I need to find her NOW!" Jack hollered, the desperation in his voice quite clear.

North's eyes widened. Maybe Jack was right, maybe they where just wasting time. Snow needed to be found, her powers where too great to fall into the wrong hands.

North let out a defeated sigh and said, "Fine. But! If you do not come back by noon, I am sending out the fairies!" He let his grip on Jacks blue sweatshirt drop.

Jack smiled weakly, grateful for the man's understanding actions. "Don't worry! I'll be careful!" Jack said as he flew away.

North just replied, "Hurry Jack! Hurry!"

He turned to the sky and shouted, "Wind! Take me to Snow!"

The wind picked up and Jack was roughly whisked away into the morning sky.


	18. Trappers and the Trapped: Chapter 18

~The Trappers and the Trapped~

Jack soared over Canada, his mind buzzing in worry. Where could Snow be? Had Pitch taken her to the lake in Burgess? That seemed far too obvious for Pitch; he was really secretive and spontaneous. But the wind apparently knew what it was dong, so he would have to trust it.

He crossed the border between Canada and the US, over Maine. He flew over the snow-blanketed towns, and after a minute civilization disappeared and there was nothing but trees in all directions. It was nothing special, just a reserve he had been to before. It was a beautiful place, just within the boundaries of New Hampshire branching a little into Maine. It was called the White Mountain Forest. He was admiring the beautiful view of the thousands of trees, and the light snowfall. Every thing seemed so peaceful. But then suddenly the wind started to jerkily pull him down to the ground.

Jack was puzzled. Why would Pitch bring Snow here of all places?

He dived down to the ground and pulled up quickly before he reached the tips of the evergreen trees, dusted in morning snow. The wind howled in his ears eyes stung from the brisk air. Everything seemed too peaceful and tranquil, was Pitch really here?

"Snow?" He yelled desperately. "Snow? Snow can you here me? Snow!" His voice echoed across the vast woodland. She had to be okay, Jack just knew she was okay. She was so strong; she had been fighting the nightmares for weeks. She wouldn't give in to them, or to Pitch.

... Would she?

Jack was pulled from his troubled thoughts by a loud sound, about 200 feet away. It made all of the birds in that area fly off in fear squawking madly. He willed the winds to stop, so he could listen. Then he heard it again. It was a scream, a girls scream.

It was Snow.

Then she screamed again, this time louder. It split through the frozen air like a knife and Jack's chest tightened. It was like an invisible hand was squeezing his heart, filling him with fear. It wasn't a scream of pain though; it was a scream of fright.

Her screams echoed through the forest, and all the birds went quiet. Jack flew about 100 feet and dropped to the ground, the fresh snow crunching underneath his feet. There was a narrow path through the white-covered trees, and it was covered in deep footprints. Well, some footprints. The others where hoof prints, most defiantly from the feet of some NightMares.

Jack growled in anger. Then in the blink of an eye he was climbing up a nearby tree, nimble as a squirrel. He knew that a ground attack would be foolish, and he needed a better view of the situation. He couldn't just attack if Pitch had Snow, or else she could get hurt. He had to get her away first.

He swiftly maneuvered from branch to branch until he was to the top of the evergreen tree. He pulled up his hood so he would be less noticeable. Then he jumped from that branch to the next one over in the other tree. He continued this pattern until he began to feel the presence of the NightMares ahead. He could hear their neighs and there hooves pawing the ground impatiently.

He put his back to the tree, so he would be unseen. Then he peered around the large trunk, looking for any potential danger. But he didn't see anything.

Jack listened, but it had gotten strangely quiet. Had they left? Or was it a trap?

He crouched down as low as he could go and climbed across the branches with a sprite-like demeanor. He quickly jumped from branch to branch, very spry and light-footed. He kept his footing even though the branches where covered in snow and ice, making them far too slippery for any human. But the remarkable thing is he did it without a sound.

After about 100 feet he stopped again to listen for any NightMare noises. But it was so silent you could drop a pin. He peered around the trees, looking for anything black among the white snow. Then he saw the first nightmare, about 200 feet away from where he stood. It seemed like the last one of its heard, and it looked like they where chasing something. Or, maybe someone.

He willed a small breeze to carry him a short amount of distance, just enough for him to be able to catch up to them.

He flew silently behind the running heard, following them to see where they where going. As soon as he got the chance he dropped down into the trees and began to run across the branches beside them, after a minute he was almost to the front of them. That was when he heard Pitch's voice, menacing and wicked, taunting Snow.

"You will never outrun us girl!" He called out to her, cackling. Jack couldn't see him; Pitch must be at the head of the NightMares. His voice made Jack's skin crawl and his blood boil.

"Just give in to the fear Snow!" He yelled. Jacks eyes narrowed and his teeth grinded against each other. It made him angry to hear Pitch call her by the nickname he had given her. It like her pet name, and it was now being poisoned in the mouth of Pitch.

Then he heard it, the voice of the person he was looking for. "No! Please!" She cried, terror in her voice. "J-Jack! Jack help me!"

Jack was surprised when she heard her scream his name. Had she been calling out for him all night?

The NightMares stopped suddenly because there was a huge cliff protruding from the ground straight ahead. Snow was probably stuck between the cliff and the NightMares, and Pitch. Jack flew to the last tree there was standing, right next to the cliff. His back was up against the trunk and he was holding his staff right in front of him so Pitch wouldn't see it. She screamed his name again, more desperately.

Pitch laughed. "Jack is nowhere near here. There is no way he will hear you, you are all alone."

Jack smirked. He loved it when Pitch was wrong.

Jack stepped out of the shadows and walked forward onto a branch that extended out to the NightMare herd. "Hey Snotface!" he yelled as loud and obnoxiously as he could, taking off his hood so Pitch could get a good look at him.

Pitch was standing at the front of at least a three-dozen NightMare army, his golden eyes malicious as he stared at the large cliff that had helped him secure his prey. But when he saw Jack his eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in hate and confusion.

"Jack Frost?" He said with a puzzled look on his face.

"The one and only!" Jack replied, with a small bow.

Pitch scoffed at the boy and said, "Really? Snotface?"

Jack just smiled and leaned on his staff. "Its because you are the boogeyman! Like, booger man! Get it Snotface?"

"Oh yes. You are so very clev-" But Pitch didn't get to finish his sarcastic sentence. He was smacked in the face with a large, icy snowball.

Jack let out a good laugh and Pitch growled in the back of his throat, wiping the snow off his face.

He let out a burst of nightmare sand in Jacks direction, which he easily avoided. It exploded as it hit the tree's trunk behind him.

"That the best you can do?" Jack said tauntingly.

Pitch yelled out in anger and blasted him with round after round of Nightmare Sand, not hitting Jack once. After a few minutes of senseless blasting Pitch gave up and just glared at the boy.

Jack was sitting cross-legged on a high branch, trying to look as mellow as possible. "Give up?" He called out.

But Pitch didn't respond, he was breathing heavily after all the effort he had gone through to try and shoot Jack.

He laughed at the man for a moment, but then remembered why he had come here anyway. He looked all around the cliff area, but Snow was nowhere in sight. Had she slipped away while they where not looking? Or did Pitch already have her, and he just was trying to lure Jack to him? Was she hurt?

Jack stood up. "Now," He said seriously, "what have you done with Emma?"

Pitch smiled, "Oh, you needn't worry about her. She is quite fine I assure you."

Jack's eyes narrowed in fury. "Where. Is. She?" He said, putting emphasis on each word.

"Oh, I can assure you," Pitch said, a twisted smile on his face, "She is very close, but the Emma you speak of is long gone."

Jack stepped back. What did he mean? He had heard Snow screaming and calling out his name just minutes ago! She couldn't have just vanished!

Fear struck his heart, making him want to puke. She wasn't taken over was she? There was no way she would fall to Pitch; she was too strong.

"What did you do to her?" Jack said, the humor in his voice long gone.

Pitch smirked. "Well," He said slowly. "I guess you could say, Snow did what snow does best.

"Snow fell."

Jack's eyes widened. He had to get out of there; if Snow was under Pitch's control then she could attack him at any time. Jack had become stronger since Jamie and the kids had started to believe in him, but he still wasn't strong enough to take on Pitch and her at the same time. He would be over come fore sure.

Jack turned so fast he nearly tripped on his own feet. He leaped from his branch to another, then to another. He had to get up some speed before he could take off.

On his fifth branch he was nearly ready to take to the skies. He jumped one last time, aiming for a farther branch. His toes had barely touched the snow-covered wood when it exploded, right under his foot.

He yelled out in surprise and pain. The blast completely destroyed the branch, and he was sent toppling to the ground.

He landed with a loud, "Oof!" in a deep pocket of snow. He grunted and stood, trying to will a wind to pick him up and carry him away before he was attacked again.

But before he could take off a shooting pain burst onto his back, sending him flying face first forward into the snow. He was thrown right into the middle of the NightMare herd.

Jack just stayed there, motionless on the ground trying to register what had just happened. It had all happened so fast, what was going on? His face was covered in snow, his chest ached and his back was searing with red-hot pain.

He could hear Pitch's crazed laugher above him, laughing at his pain. Jacks face was squired up in anger and determination as he pulled himself up, with the help of his staff. He wasn't going down without a real fight.

He straightened himself and turned to Pitch, his eyes burning fury. Jack took a step towards the boogeyman and his staff started glowing with power.

Pitch threw up his hands innocently and shouted, "It wasn't me I swear, even though I wish it was me!"

Jack froze, puzzled. Then he heard it, a loud, scornful laugh from directly behind him. He had heard that laugh before, when he fell off the couch last night at North's workshop. But this laugh was different. Darker, wicked, it couldn't be her…could it?

Jack slowly turned to face the voice, dread in his chest. The NightMares behind him parted in a straight line, and he almost screamed at what he saw.

It was Snow, but she wasn't really Snow anymore. Her brown locks where now raven black, and she was paler than a ghost. Her shirt was torn so bad it was like a half shirt, and her corset top underneath was completely exposed. Her black short shorts where ripped as well.

Her clothes where completely covered in nightmare sand. It gave the illusion that they where the night sky, twinkling with very few stars. A white frost pattern was woven over the black sand. She now wore fingerless gloves as well, and they where ripped and torn just like the rest of her ensemble. Her lips where smiling a scornful smile, and they where bright red. But it where her eyes that worried him the most. They where surrounded in dark circles, and her normally blue iris were a bright gold, just like Pitch's.

Jack frowned. "But, I just heard you calling for help!"

Pitch laughed and said," Quite the little actor, isn't she?"

"Snow?" Jack asked, taking a step back. Was that really her? She seemed more like the shell of Snow, her eyes lifeless and demeaning. Like she was possessed.

She walked towards him smiling and said, "Who is Snow?" Then without warning she shot her hands forward and blasted Jack with ice, squarely in the chest.

Jack didn't have time to react and he was airborne yet again, but this time flying backwards. He could hear the NightMares scrambling out of the way as he came through. The blast was too forceful for the wind to slow him to a stop, but it did slow his down a little.

He hollered as he bashed into the thick trunk of a large evergreen tree. His eyes where tight in pain, then his face went slack and he dropped lifeless to the ground.

Jack landed funny on his right foot and he could tell it was twisted. He sat there for a moment, just trying to breathe. The blast knocked the breath out of him and now he was gasping and coughing.

Now his back and his chest where burning. He looked down at his shirt and saw that his hoodie was completely covered in ice. It looked like someone had poured water on his chest while he was sleeping, and it froze. It stung like crazy, and he tried to pull the cold fabric from his skin. But it was stuck, frozen onto his skin.

Pitch laughed and said, "Isn't she such a doll?"

Jack looked up and saw he was surrounded by NightMares, all of them pawing the ground impatiently. He stood, still a little shaky.

"Oh no!" Pitch said with a sarcastic caring tone. "It looks like Frost is out for the count!" Then he puffed out his bottom lip and pouted. Snow stood next to him, hands on her hips admiring her handiwork. She looked so normal, just like the Snow he knew. But she wasn't, but he couldn't accept that.

"It'll take more than a couple of blasts to keep me down Pitch!" Jack yelled.

"Well then," Pitch replied with a grin, "I guess Snow gets to have a little more fun now don't she?"

Snow smiled and looked at Pitch. She said, "Really?"

Jacks smirk disappeared and his eyes widened in fear. "You wouldn't dare." He whispered.

Pitch waved his hand dismissively. "Finish him off." He said.

Snow cracked her knuckles. "With pleasure."

Jack stumbled backwards until his back hit the tree. Snow advanced towards him, her eyes glowing a bright gold.

The next few minutes were a blur for Jack. A very painful and cold blur. Snow whipped him about with long strings of black sand she could conger at will. She smacked him into trees and the snow-covered ground, making him yell in pain with each blow. She had frozen his hands to his staff behind him, and his feet where glued together as well. The extra weight from the ice made him too heavy for the wind to carry him away.

But the worst part for Jack was the fact that he couldn't fight back. Well, he could. But he didn't want to hurt Snow, even though she was on the brink of possibly killing him.

She played with him for a few minutes, then got bored and started shooting ice blasts at him as he was being pulled through the air. That hurt the most, the ice digging into his skin. It was so cold, even for him. He would have frostbite for sure.

He smiled despite his pain. That was ironic, Jack Frost getting Frostbite.

She slammed him into the ground once again. But this time she left him there, and let the tendrils of sand dissipate.

Jack inhaled sharply, his body tight with pain. Snow breathed heavily, trying to recharge before she finished him off.

"What's the matter?" She called out to him angrily. Her voice was thick with scorn and hate. "Afraid to hurt you precious Snow?"

Jack lifted his head and looked at her. Then he let out a soft chuckle as he stood with some difficulty. "You," He said with realization, "Are not my Snow anymore."

Then something snapped in Jack. He felt nothing but hate for this shell of a person who was using Snow against him. And he let out all of his fury in one enraged scream. The ice on his hands and feet shattered and he brought his staff forward, towards this girl. She was just a girl, he couldn't think of her as Snow anymore.

His staff exploded with a burst of light and he was thrown back a few feet, landing on his back. He looked up and saw that the girl had been thrown even farther than he. She slammed into the cliff wall and dropped to the ground, motionless.

Jack stood and stared at her for a minute. She didn't move at all, she didn't even breathe.

Jack froze. Was Snow's soul trapped in her body still? If Snow's body died, then would they be able to bring her back? It was unlikely for them to bring her back, but if her body died, then what would happen to her soul?

Jack ran through the deep snow and rolled her over onto her back. Her eyes where closed, and her chest wasn't rising and falling with breath. Seeing her like this stung his heart, she looked like the girl she had been before. The only real difference in her appearance was her eye color, and now that her eyes where closed she looked completely normal.

Jack looked around. The NightMares where gone, and it was just them. Should he start doing CPR? He had no idea how to anyway. There was something about chest compressions, and breathing for the person. But he didn't know how much compression for how many breaths. He decided to start doing the compressions anyway because it was better than nothing.

He counted to 35 compressions and she still hadn't moved. Should he breathe for her? That would be really awkward if she woke up, them fighting to the death and all.

But then to Jack's relief she started to cough. He sighed and closed his eyes and released a breath he didn't even know he had been holding in. When he opened his eyes he saw that she was awake. Her eyes where wide in confusion and pain. But then she saw him and they narrowed in anger.

"Get your hands off me!" She shouted as she sat up.

Jack jumped back at her anger and put his hands in the air innocently. She stood slowly, but fell back down as soon as she had reached her full height. Jack stepped forward but she swatted his hands away and tried standing on her own again.

This time she remained standing, though she was shaking badly. Her eyes where squinted in pain and she reached up and touched her shoulder. Jack noticed it wasn't in its proper place; it must become dislocated in her crash.

She laughed under her breath and said, "I underestimated you Jack Frost." Then she looked up at him, the fury in her eyes making her necklace glow. Jack noticed that the wind was picking up and the snow was falling faster. "But I can reassure you, it will not happen again."

She closed her eyes and stepped forward letting her good arm thrust out to him. Jack was pushed backwards, but he remained his footing and stayed standing. She pushed him until he was in the middle of the small clearing.

The wind died down and Jack was left standing in the center of the field. Then something happened that Jack really didn't understand.

Snow flew up into the air, just about seven feet. Her hair whipped around her face and her eyes where blinding. She spread her arms out and screamed. Jack had a feeling he needed to move, but he couldn't. It all happened so fast.

Suddenly all of the snow around Jack plied around his feet, and then froze into ice. He stared, how was that possible? He had never been able to do that!

But the bizarre didn't stop there; in fact Jack just became even more confused. She drew her hands together and all of the snow from around Jack suddenly came alive and started piling up around him.

Jack tried to run, but his feet where frozen in the snow. He stabbed him staff into the ice, but it was too thick for him to break through.

He desparatly looked up at Snow and yelled, "Snow please! Its me Jack! Please remember me!"

Her face went soft for a second, like she was remembering him. Like, like the real Snow was hidden somewhere in there dying to get out. But then she shook her head and focused more intensely on her spell.

Jack watched in horror as the snow built around him, enclosing him in. It closed over the top of him, making a very small dome. It was pitch black and freezing cold, everything was silent and he felt alone.

Then there was a flash of bright light. Jack covered his eyes and waited until the brightness went away. When it did he was shocked to see that he could see the outside world once again. But he still wasn't free.

Somehow Snow had made the snow that made up the dome turn to ice. Jack had never been able to do that trick, and he was more powerful than her. How could she do that?

He looked down and saw that his feet where free. The ice cage was shaped like a diamond, and it was completely smoothed on the inside.

Jack knocked on the glassy walls, peering outside. It was like living inside of a window. He saw Snow next to the cliff's wall, still suspended in the air, her hands still in position.

Then her eyes glazed over and she dropped to the ground, clearly exhausted from the energy it had taken her to trap him.

She stayed on the ground for a few minutes, but Jack could see her chest rising and falling. She must have passed out.

Jack turned his attention to his new confinement area. The icy enclosure proved to be indestructible. He punched it, stabbed it with his staff, shot it with bursts of ice and frost, and even tried licking himself free. But the ice was at least a foot thick all the way around.

Then he noticed something he hadn't noticed before. The flower pattern that was inside of Snow's ice was still there. What had she said? The flower with three petals would break the ice? He looked all around for the flower with three petals, but they all seemed to have four or five. But after a minute he found it, the flower with three petals at the very top of the cage.

He smiled and looked over to the unconscious girl to see if she had woken. She was still out cold.

Jack chuckled, "Its just too easy!" He whispered. He tapped each petal with his hand and then covered his head, expecting the ice to break and fall on his head.

But nothing happened.

Jack stood puzzled and tried it over and over again. Why wouldn't it work? Did it only work for Snow? Or maybe you just had to be on the outside to do it.

Jack tried a few more times then gave up and sat on the ground, trying to ignore the shooting pains all over his body. He must look like a real wreak. He groaned and grumbled as he sat there waiting for Snow to wake up. After about 10 more minutes she stirred and opened her eyes.

She struggled to stand with just one arm, and it looked painful. Jack cringed when he saw her shoulder. Her arm was hanging loosely at her side and her shoulder was in a very strange place, it was much worse now. Her body was tight in pain as she stumbled over to Jack, her small bare feet stepping through the deep snow with difficulty.

He stood as she approached. She stood in front of Jack and smiled, proud of her glass enclosure.

Jack sneered at her and yelled, "What do you want with me anyway?"

She stepped back and shook her head. She said, "I can't hear you Jack. It's a one-way thing. You can hear what I say, but no matter what you do no one can hear you."

Jack's language became quite colorful after that, and she had to wait for him to calm down, which took a little while.

"Jack!" She yelled over his curses. "Jack listen to me!"

Jack stopped shouting and glared at her. She sighed and said, "Jack, do you remember what it was like when you woke up? When it all began?" She spoke slowly, like she was talking to a baby.

Jack didn't nod, but he did remember. She knew he did, and continued, "It was dark and cold. Am I right?"

Jack nodded reluctantly, but he didn't break his furious gaze. "Cold and dark Jack!" She said. "That is how it all began. And that is how it is going to end."

Jack's eyes narrowed and he said, "No it isn't!"

Snow read his lips and said, "Yes it is Jack, it is meant to be.

"Now," She said, taking a step back from Jack, looking at the snowfall. "I would say that my snowstorms are going hit this forest in about 8 hours. And in 9 hours, you will be buried under feet and feet of snow."

Jacks eyes widened. "You liar!" He yelled. He could never make it snow that much, even if his life depended on it. Well, he could never just by himself, one year he and father winter over did it a little. But without each other's help they would have never made it snow that much in this part of the US. How could she?

She shook her head, "I'm telling the truth Jack. And unless you listen to me you will be buried alive." She had pity in her eyes, and Jack could almost see some blue hidden in her iris.

Jack glared at her, but remained quiet. Her golden eyes seemed to peer into his soul, and it was creeping him out.

"Jack," She said, "Pitch could use you. So here are your options: You could either be buried alive and freeze to death, or, you could come with me and Pitch and help us overthrow those pathetic guardians."

Jack narrowed his eyes and said, "But I am a pathetic guardian."

"Jack, Its your call. Freeze to death, or come with me. You don't need to be alone, we can work together! Pitch told me that you could stay with us, and the two of us could be a team forever Jack!"

He shook his head. "Never." Jack whispered, his stare deadly.

She stood back, with hurt and disappointment in her eyes. "Suit yourself." She said reluctantly.

She summoned some nightmare sand into her hands. "Goodbye Jack." She whispered sadly. Then she pulled her hands up to the sky and nightmare sand erupted from the ground. It covered the ice dome completely, every last inch. The last thing that Jack saw was a small tear tracing from Snow's new pair of golden eyes.

And he knew, that would be the last thing he might ever see.


	19. Tampered Memories: Chapter 19

~Tampered Memories~

Pitch galloped through the White forest on one of his many NightMares, his brow furrowed in worry. It had been nearly 45 minutes; Snow should be done with Jack by now. Had she been injured by him, or captured? He had left her alone only because he knew that Jack wouldn't have the guts to hurt her, even though it wasn't really her anymore. He would have gone harder on him then her. And besides, he needed to go and grab something from his lair. But was Frost tougher than he thought?

Pitch could see the clearing up ahead, and he yanked on the reins until the NightMare stopped. The horse whinnied in protest but halted, and Pitch dismounted into the deep snow.

The effort made his muscles ache. He was so fatigued from having to keep Snow under his control. It had been hard enough to get her to give in to the nightmare sand. But now he had to beat down her soul every minute so she would stay under the influence of the sand, but her willpower was much stronger than he though it would have been.

He scoffed as he looked around. There where broken branches everywhere and the ground was packed down, probably from Snow whipping Jack around. Maybe she had had a little too much fun with the boy. But where were the two?

Then he noticed a large diamond shaped object, covered in black sand sitting in the middle of the clearing. He walked to it and ran his fingers on the cold grainy surface as he circled the strange thing.

When he got to the opposite side he was startled to see Snow standing there, just staring at it. Her eyes where wide and spilling with tears, and she didn't notice Pitch right next to her. She looked bad, she was covered in scrapes and she had a deep gash on her arm.

"Snow!" Pitch yelled with some annoyed tension in his voice. But she didn't respond to him. She just continued to stare at the large object, her eyes glazed over and unfocused.

"Snow?" Pitch asked, this time softer.

She turned to him, her eyes glassy and incomprehensive. Then Pitch noticed her shoulder, and he had to do a double take. It was extremely out of place, it was definitely dislocated.

Her eyes slowly focused on him and then widened. She shouted, "Pitch!"

Pitch frowned and furrowed his brows. "What happened?"

She shrugged, but then winced in pain, forgetting about her injuries. "Don't worry." She said reassuringly.

"Where is Jack?" Pitch asked, looking around for the impish boy.

"In there." She replied, pointing to the object in front of them with her good arm.

Pitch looked at the strange thing, then to her, then back to the object. "How?" He whispered.

"I don't really know. I just got really mad, and then next thing I knew he was trapped.

"Can he hear us?" Pitch asked, eying the object suspiciously.

She shook her head. "The nightmare sand should cancel out all the sound."

Pitch just stood speechless, then he turned his attention back to her. "Did he hurt you?"

She stepped away from him and tried to hide her injuries. "I'm fine." She said stubbornly.

Pitch walked to her and pulled her good shoulder to him so she would be forced to face him. Her shoulder was worse than he thought. She was in a lot of pain, he could tell by her face. And she seemed very weak. It must have taken a bunch of her powers to trap Jack like this.

"Come," He said. "We should get you cleaned up."

She nodded sluggishly, her eyelids drooping. Then she started to stumble next to Pitch back to the edge of the forest where the NightMare waited impatiently.

Pitch said, "What did he do to you?"

She closed her eyes like she was deep in thought. "He… He broke my ice. Then… Then he slammed me into that cliff wall. After that it is fuzzy."

Pitch frowned. He hadn't expected that, he was just expecting her to say that she fell out of a tree or something. "You blacked out?"

She nodded. "I woke up on the ground, and Jack was next to me. I think he tried to…. To wake me up. Then I got mad at him and screamed. Then, everything is dark. I just remember waking up back on the ground, and Jack was trapped."

She looked up at the extremely tall man. "I feel so tired now." Her eyelids where almost closed.

Pitch knew that this was his opportune to strike. He quickly sprinkled some nightmare sand over her exhausted body.

Then her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed. Pitch caught her and then carried her over to the NightMare.

He placed her on the creatures back in a sitting position and then mounted behind her. She almost fell off, but he managed to catch her and prop her slumped over body upright. Pitch whipped the reins then they disappeared into the ground.

But Pitch wasn't planning on taking her back to the lair. He had other plans in mind.

When Snow had given into the NightMare sand, Pitch had gained partial control over her, masking her mind to make her think that fear was good for the children. The only thing that really kept her soul intact was her hope that she wasn't really alone, and that she had Jack and that he knew what she had felt to be alone.

But now that Jack was out of the picture, he knew that this was the best moment to send her spirit back into the shadows forever. The only way that his plan could work was if she was completely corroded by nightmare sand, and the only way she could be completely overcome would be if she felt completely alone. But she still had all the guardians.

So maybe he would just have to tamper with her memories just a little bit.

They resurfaced into the light and the NightMare snorted at the brightness of the snow around them. They where once again at the North Pole, but far away from anyone who could possible find them.

The snowfall was light and the sun was going down, even though it had been morning just a few minutes ago. The days where short at the pole. That was one of the reasons Pitch liked it here so much.

He dismounted and carefully took Snow down from the horses back, minding her dislocated shoulder. Then he carried her in his arms as he walked to the edge of a very steep cliff he knew too well.

Ahead of him rested a huge sculpture, formed of ice and nightmare sand; created over a year ago by Jack and himself. It was the perfect spot for what needed to be done.

He summoned some nightmare sand out of the ground by his feet. It came up like a rocket and took the unconscious girl from his arms.

It carried her to the top and pulled her arms out to each side, so she was in the shape of a T. Then it placed her hands onto the two topmost spikes, forming a curved surface on them for her arms to rest on. Then it dissolved under her feet, leaving her propped up by her arms only.

Her body tightened in pain as her shoulder popped back into place. Pitch could hear the crack from all the way on the ground.

He pulled a rather large book of spells out of his coat and flipped through the pages. He would have to go through most of them to weaken her enough for her spirit to give in. But there was one main spell that he was looking for.

He flipped a few dozen more pages and found it. The headline at the top of the yellowing page read 'Tampering With Memories'.

He knew that this was going to be a long and tedious process. But it was necessary for this plan to work.

He read the instructions carefully then looked up at the unconscious girl. He raised his hand to the sky and shot the first blast of nightmare sand into her soul.

And what followed was the first of many screams to come.


	20. Ice Cage: Chapter 20

~Ice Cage~

Jack hugged his legs to his chest, trying to conserve as much of his body heat as he possibly could. His legs and feet where asleep, tingling with the pain of a thousand needles. His nose and ears where frozen, and his lips where blue. He pulled up his hood to try and warm his cold head. How long had he been in there? He had fallen asleep a few hours ago and lost track.

His breaths came out in foggy puffs, illuminated by the soft blue glow of his staff. His whole body ached; his muscles slowly began shutting down from the coldness. He tried to breathe slowly because he didn't want the air to become any thinner.

Jack was used to cold temperatures like this, this heat was actually comfortable for him. But he wasn't used to the lack of oxygen in the air. His blood pressure was low and his body temperature was dropping because his muscles where not receiving enough blood to keep them warm.

He could sense the snowfall outside thickening and the storms moving in. He didn't know how, it was just a feeling he got 'in his belly' as North would say. And it wasn't going to be pretty, it was stronger then any storm he had ever felt; even the Great Blizzard of 1888. 400 plus people died in that storm, not to mention the millions that where out of power and those who where injured.

He dropped his head on his knees and sighed in defeat. "What was I thinking?" He whispered hoarsely with scornful tone.

This was all his fault. He should have never just left the pole so irrationally. He just never really considered that Pitch could take Snow over. She seemed so strong; he couldn't believe that she would ever give in. He couldn't process the fact that she was gone, even though he had been thinking about it for hours.

But there was something in her eyes, her malicious golden eyes. Almost like it was just a shell, and she was trapped underneath. But what could save her now? What in the world could possibly bring her back?

He coughed and his chest stung as his frozen skin was forced to move. The ice from Snow's blasts was still glued to his chest and back, ripping the skin when he shifted positions.

He sighed and leaned back on the icy wall, head pounding in agony from the lack of blood.

"Jack Frost," He whispered hoarsely, "You are a goner."

But surprisingly, even as he said these words he didn't have any fear in his heart. His only worry was how the other Guardians would defeat Pitch without him, and save Snow. Because if the Guardians fell, who would protect Jamie and the other children? What would stand between Pitch and complete power over the entire world?

Childhoods would be ruined, and that was all that they stood to protect. But what could he do about it? He was dying, and he had no expectation of being saved.

He tried to push down his fear of dying, dying for a second time. Fear just gave Pitch more power. Besides, he had had a good run, nearly 315 years of carefree, irresponsible fun. But he guessed all good things had to come to an end. And he had reached the end of the line.

But then, sitting there in the dark, he realized something. He was living his worst fear; dying in the dark, unseen, unheard, and un-believed in. He was all alone, with nothing but the sound of a lonely silence. It was his worst nightmare come to life, and Pitch knew it.

He clutched his staff for comfort and tried to remember the song that Snow had sung to him before she disappeared. He had to fill this empty silence somehow. He hummed the tune, trying to remember the words. Then he croakily whispered,

"My love is as true  
As the oceans are blue  
And I'll always feel this way.  
Just listen to the beating  
That keeps repeating,  
My heart wants to say  
Like Gala and Dali  
It's you and me  
Forever and a day.  
Always."

Then he started to see spots appear in his vision, and he knew that his time was nearly up. His last thoughts drifted from Jamie and what he would have to face, to Snow trapped somewhere, waiting for him to save her. But he wouldn't be able to.

He thought of North's kindness to him, acting like a second father. Bunny could be hot headed, but they where pretty close now. Bunny had even taught him how to use a boomerang once. Sandy had always been so nice to him, cheering him up when he felt down with dreamsand dolphins. Tooth had once read him a book while he was sick, 'The Adventures of Peter Pan'.

She had thought he would like the book, since the main character and him where so alike. The two of them where mischievous immortal boys who loved pranking poor souls for fun. Jack had read it a few times on his own; his respect for the boy grew with each time he finished. He admired the boy's bravery, even in the face of death. What could have been Peter's last words rang in his head, he had memorized them and made Tooth repeat the phrase over and over when she read him the novel.

"To die," Jack whispered weakly, "Will be an awfully big adventure."

Then he closed his weary eyes and let his staffs glow fade, sending him into cold blackness. He had been fighting for hours and hours, but he knew that this would all end one way. His frostbitten body was done struggling. His fate couldn't be avoided, and he knew it. He just hoped that the Guardians would be able to save Snow.

He hoped that the Guardians would be able to save themselves.

Then something broke through the blackness, a small light straight ahead. It must be the light at the end of the tunnel everyone talked about. It was getting brighter and brighter, and Jack's breathing started to slow. It became so bright the light blinded him. He waited for his pain to slowly ease to a stop as his spirit left his frozen, doomed body.

But then a strange noise broke through the eerie silence of his fading mind. It sounded like the noise of someone knocking on a door to enter a home.

He tried to ignore the sound thinking it was just a figment of his imagination. After a moment it went away, but then it came back louder then before. It pulled his mind back into the world of reality and he peeked open one of his eyes. But he immediately shut it as soon as it had opened. It was too bright. He furrowed his brow in confusion. It was bright?

He squinted his eyes open and peered at his staff, but it wasn't the source of illumination. Then he heard the knocking sound yet again, this time louder and more urgent.

He looked up and was surprised to see a bright pocket of light at the top of the ice chamber.

'It's an angel, coming to take me away,' was Jack's immediate thought. But as his eyes adjusted to the light he saw that it wasn't an angel, but a small window carved at the top of his chamber of darkness.

He sat up and stared at the light, hope rising in his heart. Was it some help? Had he been found?

Then he saw it, an extremely bright colored pair of miniature hands peeling the frozen black sand away from the ice.

Jack smiled and tried to stand, but he failed miserably. His legs where still sleeping, and he had a spaz attack halfway up and fell back down onto the slippery ice. He stood again, slower. He used his staff and the walls to prop himself up. His legs screamed in agony, the sensation of pins and needles in his legs coming back tenfold.

As soon as he had reached full height he looked up into the small window out to the real world. The snow swirled outside like he had expected, and it was a sight for sore eyes. Suddenly baby tooth came into the picture, squeaking madly in excitement and worry. Her bright colors stood out against the white dramatically. Her hands where covered in nightmare sand as she scraped and peeled away at the outer shell of his icy prison, trying to give him light. The sun warmed his face and gave him hope and more strength to keep going.

He smiled at her and laughed in disbelief, placing his fingers on the cold window she was making. He mouthed, "I'm okay."

She furrowed her brow in worry and placed her small hands on his fingers. Her expression read, 'Don't worry, your going to be alright.'

But was he really? He may be found, but that didn't do him any good if Baby Tooth couldn't get help to cut through the ice. And if she did find help by the time she got back he may not be alive. And she would doubtfully find her way in this storm; it was a miracle she even found him in the first place. He may have light, but by the looks of it he was still dead. He needed to get out, but how?

Then a flash of light caught his eye. He looked closely at the ice and saw the beautiful pattern he had seen before within it, flowers and vines everywhere. And sitting in this middle of this small window he had, sat a large flower. A flower with three petals.

He practically cried in relief. He may not be able to free himself, but maybe Baby Tooth could.

He placed his finger on the first petal of the flower, poking it over and over. It was the only way he could think of to get Baby Tooth to understand what he needed her to do.

She stared at him with a look as if to say, 'Jack, you have been in there a little too long buddy. Don't hurt yourself.'

Jack did a small face palm, and then poked the flower more vigorously. Baby Tooth eyed him suspiciously, but crawled over to his finger. He made a motion of her pushing down, and she did. Right in the center of the flower. Jack smiled at her, trying to let her know that that was what he had wanted her to do. Then he moved onto the next petal.

She crawled over to where he pointed and pushed with both hands down onto the ice. Only one more left and he might just be free.

He started poking the last petal, and Baby Tooth scurried over to it, knowing exactly what he wanted her to do. Jack crossed his fingers as she pushed down on the last petal with all her might.

He stood frozen for a second in dead silence, waiting for the ice to break.

Nothing.

He let out a sigh of defeat and put his hands on his face, disappointment and fear overcoming him. He was going to die, that had been his last chance. And it had failed him.

Then his disappointment turned to fiery anger. Why hadn't it worked? He had been so close! It wasn't fair, and it didn't make sense!

He took his staff and blasted the side of his invulnerable ice prison, trying to let out his fury. He had done this a thousand times before. But this time was different.

As soon as the blast touched the ice a loud crack split though the air and Jack could see the ice breaking at the points where the decals where etched into the ice, light pouring into the cracks. He almost started to sob in relief, but he didn't have time. This ice around him started to fall, and he barely had time to cover his head.

The ice cracked and split into hundreds of small pieces, raining down on him. Some rather large chunks plopped down onto the ground with a loud thud, the other pieces landing with a sound identical dropping a piece of glass.

In other words, it was very loud.

Jack stayed in his standing fettle position until the deafening crash died down. After a moment of silence he peeked his eyes opened, his heart full of excitement and disbelief.

He stood slowly and saw thousands of ice chunks of what used to be his prison lying on the ground around him, covered in nightmare sand. He let out a shaky laugh, his eyes shining with tears knowing that he was free. That he was going to be okay.

He flew up from the rubble, stretching his tight and sore legs. The snow swirled around him and it felt too good to be true. Suddenly he felt as free as a bird, and he wanted to fly far, far away. His soul had been crushed, broken in his horrid prison. But now he felt wonderful again, so full of hope. The darkness had made him feel powerless, and now he felt stronger and braver than any creature on the earth. He felt like a certain boy he had once read about. He laughed his impish laugh and flew up high above the clouds, hands in the formation of a chicken, and shouted, "cock-a-doodle-doo!"

He laughed until he thought he might cry. Baby Tooth flew up in front of his eyes, chittering happily, her face beaming because she knew that she had been clever enough to free Jack by herself.

Jack chuckled at the small creature. Her demeanor was much like Tooth's, all the Baby Teeth where so much like her.

Then his eyes widened, the color draining from his face. "The Guardians," He whispered. He looked down at her, alarm in his eyes. "We need to warn the Guardians."

They didn't know that Snow had been over come by Pitch, and they could attack anytime. Heck, she could have already caused damage to one of the warrens.

Baby Tooth nodded, understanding the urgency of the situation. She flew onto Jack's shoulder and held tight to his hood, shaking with cold. Jack stroked her head affectionately, and then the two took off into the sky.

And Jack had never been happier to be able to see the sunlight once again.


	21. Nightlight's Stand: Chapter 21

~Nightlight's stand~

Burgess was a mess.

As Jack jumped from rooftop to rooftop a huge swirling mass came into view, NightMares, nightmare sand, dreamsand, and lightning clashed against one another causing a tremendous amount of noise. Sandy sat hundreds of feet up in the air with April, Katherine, and Cupid by his side. Nightmares by the hundreds swirled around them, lashing out randomly and attacking them when they least expected it. Jack had never seen any of these girls in battle before and needless to say he was impressed. Cupid was pulling arrow after arrow out of her quiver and loaded them into her bow with a skillful hand, each arrow hitting directly center in a Nightmare's chest. April's hair was now an inky black, cracking with bright flashes of lightening. She was sending short blasts of light at the Fearlings and Nightmares and they would explode on contact, thunder clapping across the sky.

Katherine stood next to Sandy with her sword drawn, stabbing and slashing at the Nightmares that escaped Cupid and April's watchful eyes. Her stormy orbs were filled with fire; her battle cries mixing with the neighs of the NightMares. Sandy had a look of rage on his face as he sent his dreamsand whips into the fray, black sand melting into gold. But with each NightMare that was destroyed a new one would take its place. It made Jack wonder how many dreams Pitch must have had to corroded to be able to have such a multitude of NightMares. They were fighting so hard, but Jack knew that it was a losing battle. Like grains in an hourglass, they were running out of time.

Jack struggled to fly through the chaotic mess, dodging random Nightmares as he struggled to find the one person that was missing. Nightlight's glow was nowhere to be found, and Jack had to find him. Sandy had three people to protect him, but Nightlight had none.

"Nightlight!" Jack screamed through the fray. "Where are you?"

Jack blasted a Nightmare in the chest as he dodged to the left. But he didn't see a particularly quiet NightMare come at him from behind, and before he knew it he was plummeting to the ground in a wild decent. He yelled out as he realized that he didn't have his staff in his hands, the NightMare's blast ripping it from his hands.

"Really? Seriously?" Jack screamed as he madly tried to grab his staff, which was falling directly above him. He could feel that he was nearing the ground quickly and there was nothing to break his fall. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a rooftop directly below him and approaching quickly. He closed his eyes tight and braced himself for a hard slap on the roof's chimney. But instead he felt a pair of arms grab onto him and pull him into a tight embrace, slowing his decent and bringing him back into the air.

Jack peeked his eyes open and was met with a bright pair of emerald green eyes, squinting in delight. Not cold golden ones, but bright and happy pale green eyes. Nightlight had come to Jack's rescue instead of Jack rescuing him, a complete roll reversal.

Nightlight grinned, his face covered in scrapes and minor cuts. His expression was one of happiness and confusion, his face reading 'Where've you been?'

"Nightlight!" Jack yelled in relief, laughing hysterically. "You're okay!"

Nightlight's face furrowed in confusion as if to ask, 'Why wouldn't I be okay?'

"I need to fill you in on some stuff," Jack said quickly. "But it can wait."

Nightlight grinned and Jack summoned a wind to pick him up, taking his staff from Nightlight's hands. They soared together back to Sandy, blasting a path through the NightMares.

"Jack!" Cupid yelled in her thick French accent as soon as she saw him. "Where'd you go?"

"Tell you later!" Jack yelled back in a loud grunt as he pried a NightMare's teeth off his shirt.

The group rejoiced as they saw that Jack was back. It brought a smile to Sandy's face as well as the rest of them. Their efforts doubled as the new happiness of their returned team member refreshed their determination. Jack landed on the large sand cloud that was holding Katherine and Sandy, helping fight off the attack aimed mainly at the Sandman. Nightlight landed next to him and they stood back-to-back and blasted with their staffs in unison.

Katherine slashed her sword around violently as she reprimanded Jack for leaving. "Jack! Where have you been? I cannot believe that you and Nightlight split up! This isn't a game, Jack! You cant just go off whenever you feel like it!"

Jack tried to explain himself but to no avail, she continued to criticize on. "Quack, quack, quack…." Jack grumbled.

Nightlight laughed as he walked away from the two, covering up a spot on the cloud that was being left open and venerable. Jack moved closer to Katherine, who had stopped her furious ramble and turned her attention back to the fight, still muttering under her breath.

"Katherine," Jack said seriously. "Stop squawking for two seconds!"

She froze and turned to him, her eyes furrowed in a look of fury. "What?" She said.

"I didn't just wander off, Goose Girl. I was in Pitch's lair." Jack said quickly before she could say more.

"What did you see?" Katherine said, fear and excitement in her voice. She was smart. She knew that if Jack really had come in and out of Pitch's lair he would have learned a secret or two that could really benefit them.

"It's a long story," Jack said as he let out a battle cry and slashed a stray Nightmare in the chest.

"But there is something I need to tell you now," He said, turning his attention away from the fight for a moment. "Sandy and Nightlight- They're in danger. There was this picture, a painting, down there…and it was of them, Emma, and Pitch. It looked so real, but all of them were evil- It was messed up, Goose Girl."

Katherine froze and stared blankly at Jack, her mind going a million miles an hour as she tried to process the information. "Is that all?" She said.

"No. I'm going to have to fill you in later." Jack said.

"Alright," She said. "We need to keep them safe until we reach the pole. You protect Nightlight- I've got Sandy."

Sandy turned to them and smiled, completely unknowledgeable of what they were talking about.

"Got it." Jack said absentmindedly as he blasted half a dozen Nightmares away. He was about to turn and check on Nightlight when a huge blast shook the dreamsand cloud. Jack watched in horror as the dreamsand cloud began to dissolve under his feet. Katherine yelped and retreated closer to Sandy. Jack jumped off the cloud and saw that Nightlight had done the same. Sandy managed to keep the cloud intact, although it was much smaller now. It was now about the size of a small bed. Katherine moved behind Sandy (because the sand cloud was too small to stand anywhere else) and watched his back, knowing that was where he was shot the last time he was attacked.

"Jack!" Katherine called to Jack after minutes of useless fighting.

Jack flew to her, hovering in the air. "What?" He said.

"We need to get back to the Pole, now," She said, her gray eyes burning in urgency. "You and Nightlight go ahead and try to blast a path out of here, we will follow you. It's our only chance. We can't stay here and fight, we need backup."

"Carve a path ahead; got it." Jack said as he took off to Nightlight. He told Nightlight the plan and the two of them began to work their way Northward as a team. They blasted and tore apart the swirling NightMare army ahead with ease, the two of them working efficiently and quickly.

"We are a good team!" Jack called out to Nightlight. The spectral boy nodded in response and smiled broadly. He wasn't showing any weakness like he had earlier that night. Jack thought that maybe taking care of the kids in Burgess and giving them sweet dreams gave Nightlight a little kick, some more energy. Jack had noticed that every time they helped a child it seemed to give Nightlight more strength, like how the cold outdoors gave himself strength. He just hoped that Nightlight could hold onto that energy until they made it to safety.

Nightlight dodged to the right as a huge Nightmare came barreling through and nearly knocked both of them off their feet. Nightlight pulled Jack out of the NightMare's range and they laughed as the NightMare ran past, feeling liberated. Jack hadn't been in a fight like this since his first battle two years ago. That was the battle when Sandy had disappeared, and then Jack himself had discovered his center.

Nightlight smiled at Jack, and for a moment time seemed to freeze around them. Like for one moment, everything would be fine. Like the painting meant nothing, and Nightlight would never be taken under Pitch's control like Snow had. And so Jack let go of his worries, letting his guard down as he enjoyed this time with Nightlight and the others. He laughed triumphantly as he battled the NightMares. And little by little the Nightmare attacks became less frequent, less powerful.

After the Nightmare attacks weakened they began to move much quicker, but so did the NightMares along side them. The city lights, hundreds of feet below, slowly disappeared. A small forest suddenly appeared under them, Burgess's small natural reserve. It was where Jack had lived when he was alive, and he couldn't help but glance down a few times as they inched their way across the vast woodland.

Suddenly Jack realized that Nightlight wasn't fighting as fast and hard as he had just minutes ago. His movements seemed labored and foggy, not his crisp stabs and lightweight footwork that usually made up his fighting style.

"You okay?" Jack asked Nightlight, placing his hand on his shoulder.

Nightlight nodded trying to reassure Jack that he was fine. But his eyes were squinted in fearful anticipation, like he knew something was approaching.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked. "Is something coming?"

Nightlight nodded sluggishly. Jack tried to fill himself with false hope, telling himself it was help along the way. He hoped for North with his sleigh or Tooth with her gleaming swords (A gift from North) or Bunnymund with his exploding eggs and boomerangs to come bursting from the clouds around them. But Nightlight's fearful look filled him with dread knowing that it wasn't any kind of assistance on its way.

"Is it Pitch?" Jack asked fearfully, dreading his friend's response. "Is Pitch coming?"

Nightlight didn't have to even reply. Jack knew the answer from the horrific laughter that suddenly tore across the scene, chilling them where they stood. Jack whirled around to face the sound and saw a horrific sight, Pitch's tall silhouette standing against the bright white full moon. He seemed to be unaware of them though, he was staring hungrily at the dreamsand cloud behind them.

Jack scowled. "Pitch…" He muttered under his breath, both angrily and fearfully. He involuntary drew closer to Nightlight, determined to make sure that this wouldn't be a repeat of the first time he fought Pitch so many years ago. He wasn't losing Sandy, or Nightlight.

Katherine's voice rang out over the crazed neighing of the roused NightMares. "Fallback!" She yelled to them. Jack and Nightlight whirled around to see her and Sandy fending off a wave of NightMares about 10 yards away, desperate for help. April and Cupid slowly backed up to the cloud, not taking their eyes off the provoked NightMares. The sound of their master had made them nervous and excited.

"Come on Nightlight," Jack said, tugging on the boys arm. "We need to get back to the others."

Nightlight nodded like he was clearing his head and then the two of them dived into the scrimmage of the NightMares. Jack didn't dare to leave Nightlight's side, so it took a few minutes to be able to make it to the safe golden glow of the dreamsand cloud. They also tried to fly low so they would be unspotted by Pitch. The element of surprise was all that they could have in this fight. So Jack tried his best to fly so close to Nightlight that he himself wouldn't be spotted by Pitch (Who would surely have

April, Cupid, Katherine, and Sandy were fighting as hard as they could to defend the small cloud of safety mainly because Katherine was on it. She was the only Minor Guardian who didn't have the ability to fly and the cloud was the only thing keeping in her in the air.

"Jack!" Katherine yelled. Jack landed down next to her, and Nightlight next to him.

Jack panted heavily, saying, "What is it Goose Girl?"

"Get over here!" She yelled furiously. Jack walked over to her and she grabbed him by the arm, pulling him beside her. She was standing beside Cupid and pushed Jack behind her. Her large wings covered Jack completely from Pitch's sight.

"We need backup," She said. "We can't fight Pitch alone."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Jack asked.

"You're the fastest, Jack," She said, her brilliant mind conjuring a plan. "I doubt that Pitch has even seen you yet, which gives us the element of surprise. Maybe you get through the NightMares and up to the front and out of this mess. Then you could fly to the Pole and get some backup. North could get here in a flash with a snow globe, it's our only hope."

Pitch's laughter suddenly exploded across the scene once again, echoing across the swirling black clouds around them like they where inside a dark cavern. Nightlight shivered violently. The glowing boy had a look in his eyes, the same look Jack had seen earlier that night right before he had went into a trancelike state. Jack could tell that his friend didn't have much time. Jack didn't like the idea of traveling to the Pole alone, but Nightlight was in danger.

And if it was the only way for Nightlight and Sandy to reach safety, so be it.

"All right," He said reluctantly, gripping his staff tightly. "Keep them safe, Goose Girl."

Katherine nodded, her eyes filled with a stormy sea of worried determination. She wiped her sweaty brow and then jumped back into the fight, her backside to Sandy's. Nightlight fought next to them, close to Cupid. He was getting more and more sluggish in his attacks and Jack knew within minutes he wouldn't be able to defend himself at all.

Jack took a deep breath, staring off into the dark abyss ahead of him, pairs of NightMare eyes gleaming in the blackness. Then he summoned a wind from behind then jumped off the cloud, the wind catching him like he was wearing a zip liners belt. He shot across the scene with extreme power, the Nightmare's too shocked to do him any harm. He dodged up and down, not wanting to waste time by trying to destroy them all. He would inflict quick stabs with his staff when he needed too, but they just slowed him down. He only had one goal, to get out before Pitch had the since to look up and see him. He didn't have much time and he knew it. The group could only hold off Pitch for a little longer, and try to keep Katherine's plan of Jack's escape secret.

Jack was beginning to near the edge of the NightMare heard when he heard Pitch's scornful laughter suddenly stop. Jack could tell by the change in the atmosphere that Pitch had realized something was amiss from the Nightmare's startled neighs. He was so close to freedom, just a few more yards. But the voice almost made him want to stop and surrender, to crawl up into a ball and hide even though he was so close.

"Jack Frost?" Pitch yelled.

He could hear the blood pumping in his ears. Pitch had seen him, and it would just be a matter of minutes before he would be overcome by the Boogeyman. He had to get out now, so he had to fly even harder.

"GET HIM!" Pitch screamed from behind, making Jack's heart freeze.

He panted and summoned another wind to him from below, but a loud NightMare whinny from the side of him broke him from his concentrated flying. The nose was followed by a series of snorts as if the NightMare was trying to speak. Jack looked over just in time to see a pair of golden-red eyes that belonged to the largest NightMare he had ever seen fly past him. But he and this particular NightMare had met before. Jack recognized him from when Pitch attacked Tooth's palace. When Tooth had tried to assault Pitch the NightMare had exploded from the shadows at Pitch's feet. He was one of the oldest NightMares, Pitch's faithful steed.

"Onyx!" Jack breathed. Pitch hadn't come to stop him; he had sent his finest horse to do the dirty work; a move Jack hadn't expected.

The horse galloped past Jack with ease, his long graceful legs cutting the air and making it hard for Jack to glide through the winds that carried through it. He was easily overtaken by the Mare of Darkness. Onyx had stopped his gallop and was now blocking the path that was Jack's escape. And to Jack's horror all the NightMares from around him suddenly stopped whirling about in confusion and followed suit, silently obeying their superior cohort.

Jack's heart sunk in his chest as he realized he was surrounded. He tried to go down, and Onyx blocked his path below. But if he went upwards then he would be the perfect target for one of Pitch's arrows or aerial attacks. So he pulled up to a standing position and slowly started to back away from the large group of beasts. They began to advance on him until he was nearly back to the group. The pairs of individual glowing eyes in the NightMare heard numbered in the thousands.

"How you going to get yourself out of this one, Jack?" Jack whispered to himself, not seeking a reply to his doomed question. He already knew the answer. But to his surprise, someone answered anyway.

"Simple," Pitch's smooth, venomous voice said with amused mirth.

"You don't."

Jack wheeled around to see Pitch standing not more that 30 feet away, looking very smug on his blacksand cloud. His eyes where filled with anger, surprise, and maybe a hint of respect for Jack that he had escaped yet again. But Jack didn't notice Pitch's glowing eyes, he was blankly staring at what Pitch was wielding in his hands-

A long nightmare sand arrow, its tip sharper then the NightMare's teeth, aimed directly at his heart.

Jack struggled for a moment, trying to decide what to do. He didn't have anywhere to go. His death was sealed, and he knew it. But he wasn't going to give Pitch the satisfaction of seeing him scared.

Jack stuck out his chin like a defiant child and let his lips form a smug grin. If he was going to go down, he was going to go down fighting, or at least not quivering in fear of death.

He rose up into the air a few feet and lowered his staff to his side in an effort to show bravery. He closed his eyes and puffed out his chest, resisting the urge to cockle-doodle-do like a rooster in his last few moments of existence (Something he had always wanted to do).

The NightMares all grew quiet and watched in silence as Pitch drew his hand away from the arrow's end. Jack squinted his eyes slightly open to get a last glance at the bright moon that sat just behind the Nightmare King. And Jack swore he could see the man in the moon's face in the shadows of the white light, his face somber and sad. Whether he was grieving for his own fate or Nightlight or Sandy's, Jack didn't know.

He watched as Pitch took his hand completely away from the arrow. It shot forward in swirl of nightmare sand, darker than night. He could see it getting bigger and bigger, closer and closer.

But then to his surprise and relief a beautiful warm light came into his vision, streaking across the sky and towards Pitch's arrow. Was it a shooting star come to grant his a dying wish? He didn't really have anything to wish for, except that Katherine could get the others out of there safely. He then closed his eyes and awaited the arrow to come in peace, knowing that he had done his best. And he held his breath, awaiting the sharp arrow to dig deep into his chest.

But no arrow ever came.

"NO!" Someone shrieked. It was Katherine, her voice high and desperate. Jack assumed that she was screaming out to him in some sort of warning plea. Who else could she be calling out to?

Then she screamed again, this time a name. Jack was sure it was going to be his own name and that she was crying out in a desperate plea for his life.

But it wasn't his name she screamed.

"NIGHTLIGHT!"

Jack's eyes snapped open as everything suddenly clicked together. The star that had been flying to Pitch…

It wasn't a star at all.

"NO!" Jack screamed. This couldn't be happening, but here it was, right in front of his eyes. It was like he was in a dream, or more like a nightmare.

He opened his eyes just in time to see a black arrow and a bright white figure collide, nightmare sand flying in all directions on impact. A long skinny arrow punctured straight through the figure's chest, poking out the other side. It was the figure of a skinny boy, younger than Jack. His hair was wispy and his limbs long. It could only be one person, one extremely brave boy who had sacrificed himself for his friend. Jack only knew one person that courageous, that selfless. And Katherine's mournful screams confirmed his fears.

He knew he was saved.

But his friend was lost.


	22. North's Little Helpers: Chapter 22

~North's little helpers~

The next few days where extremely tiring for all the guardians, both physically and mentally. They where overwhelmed when so minor guardians answered their call for help. They hadn't been expecting so many of them to react so quickly, because they had never gathered together before and the minor guardians usually kept to themselves. It was the first time that they all assembled together, and it was very exciting for many of them. But it was overwhelming nothing less, having so many powerful beings in one place.

Some of them claimed that they had been watching over the children around the world, and had noticed something was going wrong. NightMare attacks where getting more frequent, and they had been getting worried as the children's troubled dreams worsened over a 24-hour period. There where so many children who needed them, and they couldn't help all of them by themselves.

When they received North's letters delivered by the Baby Teeth, they reluctantly sprung into action. They knew that they needed to help the guardians because it was the only way to be able to help the children.

North divided all the minor guardians into 4 different groups: His own, Bunny's, Tooth's, and Sandy's. The guardians who where assigned to North, Tooth, or Bunny had the job of protecting their warrens from Pitch, keeping watch at all times.

The ones where were in Sandy's group would fly with him at night while he did his rounds, making sure he was safe while he scattered his dreamsand. They also helped out when Sandy sensed that there was a child nearby having a bad nightmare. Jack was in Sandy's group, but North wouldn't let him leave the workshop until he was completely healed.

The warren with the most protection was Tooth's, because her warren had been attacked many times before by Pitch. It was their main goal to protect the children's teeth and innocent memories. Because the children where already struggling with their fears, and without the memories they had they wouldn't know who they really where and what they stood for.

And if you didn't know what you stood for and who you really where, then it was nearly impossible to stand up to your fears.

Jack wanted to help so badly, but North watched him every moment so he couldn't slip away and try to. Jack was still healing from his frostbite, but it had been about four days since his incident with Pitch and Snow.

But the Pole was the best place for someone to be stuck anyway. It was the resting area for not just North's group, but half of Sandy's group too. Sandy's group was split in two, one team would work and the others would sleep and rest because it was always night somewhere in the world. They would switch off every 12 hours between helping Sandy and staying at the Pole. It was like the base of operation, and it was where everything exciting was happening.

Currently Jack was sitting on one of the banisters that overlooked the whole workshop. The yetis where bustling about preparing for Christmas, which was coming quickly. It all looked normal, except the dozens of magical beings all around. Some were getting back from their rounds with Sandy after a 12-hour shift.

Jack looked around eagerly through the bustling crowds; Nightlight should be getting here soon.

Nightlight had arrived a few days ago during the middle of the night. He had noticed the change in the balance of fear and dreams like everyone else. The Man in the Moon told him to come to the pole and help fight the fear because he didn't receive a letter.

Jack and him hit it off immediately, becoming great friends. They looked very alike, and had the same personalities. The only difference was that Nightlight was a little shyer than Jack. When Nightlight came back to rest he and Jack would hang out, and that's where Jack was now, waiting for him.

Then he saw him, walking in through the large oak doors followed by many others who had finished their rounds with Sandy for the night. The pale looked around with his pale green eyes, then saw Jack and smiled brightly and waved. Jack waved back; excited his friend was finally here.

Nightlight was a very skinny boy and his skintight armor didn't really help him look any bulkier. He had rather large shoulder, elbow, and kneepads that just made him look skinnier. He carried a long spear that was about as tall as he was with a moonbeam trapped at the end. But that really wasn't the remarkable thing about him.

He glowed, but not because he radiated happiness. He literally glowed, like a light bulb. His whole being was luminescent, making him stand out against the darkness of the doors he was walking through.

Cupid followed after him through the doors, and then April after her. The three of them shared the same shift and always returned together.

Cupid smiled and waved to Jack as well. Her hair was bubblegum pink and had random white feathers scattered about in her bright curly locks. The feathers trailed all over her back and arms, and then they sprouted into 2 angelic wings that where as tall as she was. She carried her bow and arrow, and a quiver filled with different arrows on her back (Many being ice ones Jack and North had made for her). She had a French accent, her hometown being Paris, France. She was bubbly and romantic, but ever since she had arrived at the pole Jack had noticed that she had become much more serious. After her first few NightMare attacks, her bubbly personality started to disappear and she had become more earnest like she had aged an extra hundred years. She insisted people call her Cupid instead of her real name, Venus Valentine. She companied that her full name was too long and that she wasn't very fond of it.

The girl behind them was April. She was very quiet and emotional, like the sky she was always in. Her full name was April Showers and she had control over the weather and winds. Her hair was like a cloud, grey when she was sad, white when she was happy, and black when she was angry. He had been told that when she was fighting it crackled with thunder and lightning as well. Her dress was the same as her hair, constantly changing as her emotions did. Right now her hair was white and she was still in her battle uniform, as well as Cupid.

Most of the minor guardians wore the battle uniforms North had made now, mainly because their usual outfits where not very good for fighting off NightMares being so bright and not very stealthy.

The provided ensemble consisted of simple brown pants with a cloak like shirt. Many of them had small leather straps on their legs that held pouches of dreamsand to fight NightMares. Many others had belts that held swords. Jack joked that they all looked like assassins, but he couldn't really complain much because the outfit looked so much like his own.

The guardians who where assigned to North's warren wore white to match the snow, At bunny's they wore green, then blue at Tooth's, and those who went with Sandy wore grey, black, or dark blue. They wore all the same outfit, just different colors.

The two immortal girls walked off to go and get changed back into their normal attire. Jack noticed that Cupid had a rip in her shirt, along with a little blood on it. But that was normal; they would get scrapes every so often from the Nightmares. Nightlight ran to the nearest banister eagerly and jumped off, flying over to Jack. He dashed swiftly to Jack and landed softly next to him on the banister.

"Hey sport," Jack said as he reached over and ruffled Nightlights white hair. Nightlight made a face at him and then smiled.

"Hey Jack." Nightlight responded softly.

It had become much easier for Jack since Nightlight arrived; he took his mind off of things. And he was so hopeful, like everything in the world would be okay no matter what. He had just begun to speak to him yesterday when they where sitting by the fire last night. Jack was telling Nightlight stories about him and the guardian's fun times, but when he opened up and told him about Snow was when the boy really started talking to him.

Jack leaned against a pillar on the end of the banister. Nightlight turned to him and Jack noticed something he hadn't seen before. He had a deep cut on his cheek, and it looked like some grains of nightmare sand where surrounding it.

Jack sat up and leaned close to get a better look at Nightlights injury, but the boy scooted back and turned to he couldn't see it, adverting his olive colored eyes.

"What happened?" Jack asked breathlessly. Nightlight had never been hurt before, and it was strange that he and Cupid had been hurt at the same time. It was usually just one person, never two. Maybe if the NightMare attacks where getting worse North would let him go out with them and help fight.

Nightlight made a motion with his hands as if to say, 'Its nothing'.

Jack shoved his shoulder. "Was it a NightMare? Or did you just stab yourself in the face with your spear?"

Nightlight smiled absentmindedly as he stared off into space, twirling his spear in his hands. Nightlight didn't talk much, but Jack knew he was going to get no more exclamation or gestures out of him.

Jack sighed and leaned up onto the pillar once again. "You are so stubborn." He said to the glowing boy next to him.

Nightlight turned to him and stuck out his tongue defiantly. Jack smiled and punched him in the shoulder. He shifted positions so his back was facing the open air on the other side of the banister, his body facing the hallway.

The winter sprite took at deep breath, then yelled out, "Wahooooo!" He pushed back on the banister and let himself fall through the air freely.

He dropped like a stone, the wind whistling in his ears as he plummeted headfirst to the ground below. He had to dodge a few blimps and planes floating around, but other than that he wasn't using his powers of flight at all. It was his favorite thing to do, skydiving indoors. It gave North a heart attack every time and made the yetis all panic, thinking that someone had fallen.

Jack looked over and saw Nightlight next to him, falling the same way and just as fast. They made eye contact and held a silent conversation.

Jack raised his eyebrow, his features saying, 'Don't even try kid.'

Nightlight folded his arms and scrunched his eyebrows as if to say, 'Try me.'

Jack laughed and straightened himself even more so he would plummet down to the ground faster. He needed to catch up some speed if he was going to win their race, but Nightlight caught up just as fast with hardly any effort. They both pulled up at the same time right before they hit the ground causing many yetis to scream and fall over in fright. They bulleted across the room with their speed momentum from the fall making some papers, toys, and elves all fly across the ground.

Jack zoomed through the hallways as fast as his wind would take him. Jack knew exactly where he and Nightlight where racing to, and he had to get there before him. Jack always won their races, and he wasn't planning on losing his perfect streak anytime soon.

He toppled over yetis, elves, and a few minor guardians who where on break. He whisked past Suzy Snowflake and the force of his speed knocked her to the floor. She was so small and fragile that barely even a breeze would throw her off balance. North kept her in the workshop because he was worried that she wouldn't be very safe with the wild snowstorms going on, even though she was a winter spirit. Her brown hair swirled around her face as she looked up at Jack, who was now flying backwards as he laughed at her.

"Jack Frost!" She yelled, laughter in her voice. "I'm so going to get you for that!"

Jack laughed and said, "You'll have to catch me first!" He then turned around bulleted down the hallway.

After a moment of flying he glanced over his shoulder, expecting to see Nightlight far being him. But he was shocked to see Nightlight was nowhere in sight.

He abruptly stopped and landed on the ground. Was he being pranked? Did Nightlight just let him fly off without him, wondering how long it would take him to find out he was alone?

"That no good little-" Jack yelled angrily. But he was cut short when a breeze of air pulled him off balance.

He turned and to his horror he saw Nightlight bulleting down the hallway at an incredible speed. He must have used a secret route and come down an different hallway to throw him off!

Jack ran down the hall, gathering up speed to fly. It was hard for Jack to fly indoors because they're no natural breezes to carry him. He usually would have to dive off of something to catch enough speed to get off the ground by making his own breeze. But Nightlight could fly at will, and now Jack didn't have enough momentum to get back into the air.

Jack panted as he tried to run after the glowing boy. He would fly for a few seconds and then fall back down to the ground, never staying up more then 10 seconds.

After a few minutes of sprinting and unsuccessful flying Jack made it to the finish line. Nightlight was leaned up against the wall trying to look as bored as possible as he waited for Jack. That was what Jack usually did when he waited for Nightlight to come and face the fact that he lost.

"You!" Jack gasped as he tried to catch his breath, waving his finger angrily at the boy, "Are despicable!" Then he put his back on the wall and slid to the ground panting heavily, beads of sweat rolling down his face.

Nightlight did a little victory dance in front of Jack, celebrating his first victory. Jack laughed between his huffy breaths. "You got me," He said unenthusiastically.

Nightlight pumped his arms back and forth, and then did the running man dance step. He was pretty goofy when you got to know him, but when they had first met he had been really shy. The only people Nightlight really acted funny around was Jack, and Katherine of course.

Nightlight and Katherine where really close, they arrived at the pole together and where the best of friends. She was a very clever girl with bright red hair and stormy grey eyes. She wore a yellow coat, but it had been swapped out for the usual minor guardian garb so she could patrol with Sandy at night unseen.

Jack had given her the nickname of Goose Girl because she was the guardian of Storytelling, also known as Mother Goose. Jack realized this when she arrived, because she flew in with Nightlight on the back of a horse-sized goose. Jack later found out that the gooses name was Kailash, a rare Great Snow Goose of the Himalayas. The goose could grow and shrink at will, becoming the size of a regular goose or the size of a horse. She loved Katherine and protected her fiercely, and Katherine had told Jack that the goose believed that she was her mother. But right now they where together patrolling with Sandy, and they would be for the next 12 hours.

Jack wiped his forehead and looked up at Nightlight. "Hey, did you get to see Goose Girl when you switched off?"

Nightlight stopped his dance abruptly and shook his head sadly. Katherine and he had been put into Sandy's group, but when it was divided in half they where separated. The only time that they got to see each other was when they switched off protecting Sandy. And sometimes they didn't even see each other then.

"Sorry about that bro," Jack said feeling pity for his friend. He extended his hand out to Nightlight and the boy took it and helped Jack up to his feet.

Jack was about to ask what they where going to do next when a loud voice boomed from down the hallway.

"JACK FROST! VAT DO YOU ZINK YOU ARE DOING?"

Nightlight and Jack whirled around to face the furious voice. North was walking up the hallway, his finger wagging in disapproval. The two troublemakers exchanged worried glances and slowly began to back away from the angry Russian. But after a moment they backed up into a wall, trapped between North and the end of the hallway.

North continued forward and yelled, "You toppled over at least 15 yetis, destroyed 3 hand painted dollhouses, and don't even get me started on all the elves who are scattered about ze hallway unable to get back up!"

Then placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose and whispered fiercely, "Chto v mire ya sobirayusʹ sdelatʹ s toboy!" He had become so upset he had apparently forgotten his English.

"I'm sorry North!" Jack said with a sarcastic tone. Nightlight giggled behind his hand.

"Vat," North said, "Am I going to do vith you Jack?"

Jack smiled, "Well…. You could let me go and help Nightlight!"

North looked up and said, "No Jack! Your still not healed!"

Jack scrunched up his face defiantly and said, "Am too! Did you see how fast I was flying? I'm fine!"

North sighed and looked up at Jack and said, "No Jack. Ve don't need you getting 'urt all over again."

Jack narrowed his eyes angrily and said, "It was a one in a million chance! I wont ever let anything happen like that again!"

"No Jack!" North barked. "Et is a one in a million chance you are still alive! You are not leaving the Pole! Pitch still thinks your dead, and I vant to keep it that vay!"

"Why?" Jack whined, loosing his composure as he slumped over in childish defeat.

"You are our secret weapon right now Jack, and ve do not have very many of those right now." North explained.

"But I wanna go!" Jack yelled crossly.

"Vell, that is just too bad." North said after a moment.

Jack sighed and looked over at Nightlight, who was frowning in disappointment. Then Jacks eyes widened as well as his grin. Maybe he just needed to change tactics.

"Fine," Jack said as he slung his staff onto his shoulder. "I guess that just means I can have a little more fun here at the pole."

North laughed. "Zat vill not vork on me Jack. I know all your little tricks. You are staying at ze Pole, and zat is final."

Jack shrugged. "Fine North," He said as he started walking to one of the hallways that led deeper into the factory.

"Come on Nightlight, I bet you can crack the code on North's top secret vault." He said tauntingly at North as he passed him.

Nightlight sprinted after Jack, an enthusiastic smile on his face. It was true; the boy could break about any code or lock with ease. He had gotten use to it after all the times slipping into the rooms of children who where having troubled dreams by unlocking their windows.

North turned to the boys and laughed. "You vill never get it open Jack!"

Jack turned and smiled at North saying, "Of course we will! Nightlight has already cracked the code to your workshop and your secret cookie vault under your table!"

North's eyes widened. "No you didn't! You are just messing vith me Jack!" He said, disbelief and fear in his voice.

Jack nodded impishly and shouted, "No I'm not, he really did!"

Then he turned to his friend smirking and said, "Come on Nightlight, we don't have anything better to do! Plus, there is a whole chest of fallen stars in there! I can sense a great prank in the making!"

Nightlights eyes widened and then he smiled excitedly, clapping his hands together. Then the two of them took off laughing madly down the hallway. Jack ran and Nightlight flew.

"No! Please Jack, stop!" North yelled as he sprinted down the hall. The boys looked at each other and smiled, knowing that their plan was working. Then they stopped, facing their pursuer.

North wheezed and coughed as he tried to catch his breath. He looked up at Jack shoved his finger into the boys chest and said, "Fine. But you must stay out of trouble until you go Jack!"

Jack jumped into the air and did a small backflip. "Yessss!" He shouted as he tumbled through the air.

North rolled his eyes and turned to Nightlight. "I'm counting on you to keep him safe Nightlight." He tone was serious, and his voice was low, so Jack wouldn't hear. Not that he would, he was to busy cartwheeling down the hallway.

Nightlight nodded as North continued. "Don't let him do anyzing stupid. Pitch is out there, and when he finds out Jack is alive… Lets just say that this time Jack may not come back to the Pole at all."


	23. Star and Snowflake Skies: Chapter 23

~Star and Snowflake Filled Skies~

"Bet you can't catch me!" Jack called over his shoulder as he shot through the skies.

He laughed childishly as he cut through the nippy midnight air, feeling satisfied because he was currently winning the race he and Nightlight where having.

The clouds underneath him shone with the reflection of the moon. Stars glittered above suspended in an inky black sky like lanterns in the dark of night, forming different patters and constellations that he didn't know (But Katherine probably would).

The cold air felt so good on his skin, he had yearned for the feeling during his days in North's stuffy infirmary. But now he was out in the brisk night sky and the ozone in the air practically tangible. Snow's snowstorms where sweeping the area, and where on their way to this town as they spoke. It was moving so quickly that it would be there in a blink of an eye and they had to hurry to Sandy before the storm caught them. So Jack and Nightlight, being the competitive and spirited boys that they where, had turned their travel against time into a race.

Nightlight was close behind Jack, and gaining fast. But this was Jack's element, and he could control Nightlights speed without the boy even realizing it. In the workshop Nightlight had the upper hand because he could fly without wind, but now it was payback time.

Jack spun around so he was flying backwards, facing the glowing boy who was just a few yards behind him. He yawned and stretched, trying to look as uninterested in their race as possible. Nightlight's eyes flared as he urged himself to go faster. But Jack pushed the winds against him, making it like he was swimming against the tide. He was panting in effort as the space between him and Jack grew.

"Give up?" Jack called out to him.

Nightlight smiled stubbornly and shook his head, unfazed by Jack's taunting.

Jack laughed at the boy's persistence and then forced the winds to push harder on him. After a moment Nightlight was at least 50 feet away, and beginning to give up on their race. Jack cheered at the boys defeat, closing his eyes as he bowed to his opponent.

He rose, expecting to see Nightlights jealous face glaring at him. But the luminescent boy was nowhere in sight.

"What?" Jack whispered.

As he breathed this word, he felt a small tap on his shoulder. He turned quickly, worried of what he might find. He was prepared for a NightMare or even Pitch himself. But he was met with a pair of bright green eyes, shining with mischief. How was it possible that Nightlight was behind him now?

Then Nightlight soared off in the blink of an eye, his speed double his normal flight rate.

"What in the world?" Jack asked as he watched the glowing boy fly away, his hair flapping in the wind. The wind was helping him, and bending to his will as he flew about. Could Nightlight control the winds?

Then Jack heard a small noise from below, and realization popped into his mind. He turned to the sound and found Cupid giggling as she hovered above the clouds, her large wings pumping to keep her airborne. And standing next to her on the clouds was the secret of Nightlights success, Miss April Showers.

"Wha- you little cheaters!" He yelled with his voice filled with laugher.

April was giggling as she stood on the fluffy clouds below, her hand moving to match Nightlights flight pattern. Jack had forgotten he wasn't the only person here, who could control the wind, and April had much more power over the air then he did.

"Hey, it was Cupids idea!" April yelled.

Cupid shrugged and pulled off her hood. "Well, you deserved it!"

Jack scoffed as he watched Nightlight fly about, enjoying his new improved speed. Then he stopped and turned back to them. He flew over, which took about less then 5 seconds considering April was helping him.

He flexed his small biceps at Jack, letting him know that the winter spirit wasn't as awesome as he was. April sneered in disgust and mad a small fist with her hands. The winds stopped, and Jack and Nightlight made eye contact for a second as if to say, 'Oh crap'.

Nightlight smiled widely as he landed with a plop in the clouds, below bouncing of the fluffy object next to April.

Jack tucked his legs to his chest and yelled, "Cannon ball!" And then he let himself drop into the cloud like it was a swimming pool.

He was expecting to bounce of the cloud, or go all the way through. But he wasn't prepared to get stuck somewhere in between.

Jack thrashed about in the fluffy substance, his staff somewhere below him and his arms trapped. He looked up out of the good-sized hole he had created in the cloud. He smiled embarrassedly at his friends who where peering over the edges, trying to hold back their laughter.

"Um guys?" Jack asked. "A little help please?"

Then they all burst at the seams, laughing so hard that they began to cry. Nightlight fell back onto the cloud, and the girls doubled over holding their sides. Jack just sat awkwardly wondering what to do. He was stuck, and he must look pretty ridiculous. He laughed a little, feeling self-conscious and slightly mortified.

After a moment of enjoying Jack's embarrassment Nightlight calmed down enough to peer over the edge again, but he lost it as soon as he saw his position again.

"Come on guys!" Jack yelled out. "Please?"

Cupid tried to calm herself, taking deep breaths and letting only a few giggles slip every once in a while. "Ok, ok," She whispered, trying to keep another round of laughter at bay. "Um, Jack?" She asked after a moment.

"What?"

"Do you think you can you reach my bow?" She asked as she stretched her bow down to him.

He wiggled for a moment and freed one of his hands. Then he reached up to grab the bow, but it wasn't in his reach.

"Nope." He said as he let his arm drop. "Can April do something to the cloud? Make it move a little? Or split it in half?"

April's face came into view, smiling broadly with her hair a bright white. "I guess I could… But this is much more fun. Plus, it would just make the snowstorms move in faster."

Jack groaned helplessly. "Please?"

The girls giggled at him and Nightlight arrived back in Jack's vision. He smiled at Jack and then stood, picking up his spear. He turned the spear around and kneeled, pushing the blunt end to Jack.

"Thank you!" Jack said asperity, reaching out desperately for the long staff.

He grabbed onto the spear and Nightlight tugged on the other side, freeing Jack's bottom half and his other hand.

Once both of Jacks hands where free he let go of Nightlight's spear and grabbed his own staff. He then climbed out easily, grabbing onto Nightlights hand at the top.

Jack landed in the fluff with a sigh, feeling relieved he was out. He rolled onto his back and sat up, looking at the stars. There was one particular one that was the brightest, and Jack immediately looked at it first like he always did. Next to it was a smaller star, and it looked like it almost looked like it shimmered with different colors because it was so far away. That had been Snow's favorite star.

He sighed and fell back on the cloud, hands behind his head. He wished that Snow was here, and that everything was okay again. She would have loved this; she and Jack would always stargaze together at the pole and watch the northern lights while they talked.

How could things have gone so wrong so fast? Everything just used to be fun and games, cakes in the kitchen and frozen elf bowling in the hallways. But now everything was so complicated, and Snow was…. He couldn't think of her as evil. She wasn't, she was just gone. And, he would just have to find her again. But could he? Or was she really lost forever?

He would do anything if things could just be the same again, and if she was here unharmed, safe, and back to normal next to him. He missed her blue eyes, so bright as she gazed on the stars and her brown hair flowing in the cold wind as they joked and laughed. But it was impossible, and these dreams could become nothing more then a wish that couldn't ever be fulfilled.

But then the winter sprite remembered something. Jamie had told Jack once that if you wish on the first star you see at night your wish would come true. But you had to sing this song, or say some rhyme that he couldn't remember.

Nightlight sat next to Jack, and the thoughtful winter spirit gazed up at the stars intently and said, "What is that little rhyme that kids say when they wish on a star?"

Nightlight thought for a moment, confusion in his bright eyes. Then April floated down to them and said, "You mean 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'?"

Jack shook his head, "No, that's not it. It's a different one, and it's not really a song. More like a chant."

Cupid shrugged and said, "I only know love songs. But I think I know what you are talking about… It sounds familiar."

They sat in silence, wracking their brains for the small chant that was so common, yet they hadn't every really ever acknowledged.

Nightlight leaned over to Jack and whispered in his ear, to timid to talk in front of the girls. He was just shy like that, even though he spent so much time with them. It was a miracle that he had even ever started to talk to Jack at all in the first place.

"I bet Katherine knows," He said softly, barely even an audible whisper.

Jack's face lit up. "Yeah! Your right, she probably does!"

"Who does?" April asked, shocked that Nightlight had actually spoken.

"Goose Girl!" Jack said as he stood up on the cloud shakily. "Maybe we can catch her!"

Nightlight smiled enthusiastically. He hadn't seen Katherine in 24 hours, and Jack could tell that he really missed her. It must be strange to being inseparable from someone and then only seeing the person once or twice a day.

And besides, Jack had a feeling that they where a little more then friends, or at least drifting that way. The light that they had in their eyes when they got close, and the blue tinted blush that covered Nightlights cheeks when she talked to him. And the way he seemed to be more protective of her then anyone else.

But it was hard not to like Katherine, she was very beautiful with her large stormy eyes and ruby red hair, and she was very bright and clever. She could recite hundreds of stories by memory, had tons of poems, songs, and battle strategies memorized, and she had taught herself how to read moon code.

She was fun and bubbly, and Nightlight was quiet and sweet. They balanced each other out, and their teamwork during training practice was amazing. It was like they where linked together, their movements melodic. It reminded him of Snow and himself almost.

"Why do you care so much about wishing on stars?" Cupid asked her features suggestive and her eyes fiery in excitement. "Have a special lady in mind? Hmm?"

Jack blushed. Could she tell what he was thinking? Or where all girls just this good at reading minds?

"Um, well…. Yes?" He said slowly, but Cupid's smile just grew larger and more mischievous. "I mean no!" He corrected himself quickly. "Not, not like that! She is just my friend."

Cupid frowned clearly disappointed. But then she said, "There is no point hiding your feelings from me Jack, I can read everyone's hearts. I know who everyone loves, it is my job. I'm Cupid for goodness sake!"

Jack's heart leapt into his throat and he squeaked, "What?"

Nightlight grabbed at his heart, trying to block it from Cupids vision; clearly scared she was going to literally 'read his heart'.

She giggled at Nightlight and swept a stray feather behind her ear. She looked at the two uncomfortable boys and said, "Don't worry, your secrets are safe with me." Then she winked and turned, leaving Nightlight and Jack speechless.

Nightlight still clung to his shirt, holding where his heart would be. And Jack was left dumbfounded and absolutely flabbergasted, questioning his own feelings. Was he really in love? He hadn't thought of it that way. Was that feeling he felt for Snow in his heart love? He had just thought it was caring, like caring for a friend. But it felt deeper, and warmer. Could Cupid read his heart, even when he himself could not?

"Do you think she's telling the truth?" Nightlight whispered after the girls had flown away, out of hearing range.

Jack smirked, enjoying his friend's uneasiness. "So you do like her huh?"

Nightlight blushed ferociously, adverting his gaze to his elf-like shoes.

Jack laughed and whispered in a French accent, "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." Then he did a cheesy wink and laughed.

Nightlight smiled, clearly still embarrassed but feeling a little better.

"Well then," Jack said. "We had better go and catch your Goose Girl shall we?"

Nightlight's eyes brightened and he nodded, diving off the cloud without a word. Secretly Jack wondered what would happen if Jack referred to Katherine as 'Nightlight's Goose Girl' in front of her. He would have to try that out.

Then he dived off the cloud, following his luminescent friend. Instead of pushing the winds against Nightlight, Jack urged them to help him fly faster.

Underneath the clouds, a storm was coming in. It was crystal clear above the clouds, but down here the snow was beginning to fall like it had in so many other places in the world.

Snow was working up some horrible storms, worse then anything that Jack, Suzie Snowflake, or Father Winter had ever seen before. She was more powerful then any of them had ever imagined. The force of these storms had knocked out power all around the world, mainly in America's North East areas. But the storms still raged all around the world, endangering many families and children. Nightlight had told Jack that the children where having nightmares about the storm, worried that their power and heating would go out. It made Jack sad to hear that, and mad that Pitch was using something so wonderful like snow and turning it into a weapon of fear.

A few days ago Suzy flew to the cave of Father Winter, seeking help. North had debated between her and Jack, but then decided that Jack was in too much danger to leave the Pole alone. And he would probably annoy the man rather then get him onto our side. So Suzy flew there alone, and hours later she came back with semi good news. She told them that Father Winter wanted to help, but for now he had to stay in his cave. The snowstorm was so strong he had to use all his energy into keeping it from completely taking over the world. He was very weak, and unable to fight and protect the warrens from the NightMare attacks they had been having.

Later that day Bunny and some forest fairies went to go and find Mother Nature, worried about finding her in the same condition. After days of searching they found her, her life force dwindling like a flower in a bitter frost as she lay motionless in the snow. The world was out of balance, and the cold was taking over her soul.

They had brought her to Bunny's warren so she would be safe in her weakened state. It was one of the only places left of earth without snow. There she stayed, protected by the many forest spirits that had been assigned to that warren. The storms where getting stronger and they could tell that Father Winter couldn't hold on much longer. And if Father Winter fell, then Mother Nature would fall. And if she fell, what could keep the world from freezing over completely?

Jack hadn't been paying attention to where he was flying; he was just following Nightlight through the light snowfall as he became lost in his thoughts. But then a bright light brought him out of his daydreams, making him stop in his tracks.

It was a bright strand of dreamsand, on its way to the room of a sweetly sleeping child. Nothing could life his spirits like dreamsand, and he needed a pick me up right about now.

Jack touched the stream of golden sand curiously with his free hand and small pieces broke away from the current, forming life-sized dolphins. They did flips and loop-de-loops in the air, making Jack laugh with delight. There was something about these aquatic mammals that made him just feel better. They where just, fun.

He looked over at Nightlight, who had spotted the dreamsand as well. He turned back and smiled as the dolphins jumped about, brightening the storm around them.

"Well, if the sand is going this way," He pointed in the direction the dreamsands current was flowing, "Then Sandy must be this way." He turned to face the opposite direction. And sure enough, there was Sandy.

His golden glow cut through the light snowfall like a lighthouse. He sat on a large golden cloud, gesturing his hands into different positions as he sent the dreamsand out into the night. As Jack's eyes adjusted he noticed something else, Sandy wasn't alone on his cloud. A petite figure sat next to him, probably a girl, holding something in her arms. It looked like Katherine, only her hood was up and it was hard to see her face.

He looked over to Nightlight, but he was gone. When Jack looked back up he saw the bright boy, flying as fast as he could to the cloud.

Jack chuckled and followed, making the winds help Nightlight fly faster. As they neared the cloud Katherine stood, taking off her hood and placing whatever she was holding on the ground. Nightlight tackled her, embracing her in an overly enthusiastic hug. They tumbled off the cloud and out of sight, both laughing hysterically.

Sandy turned, his chubby face bright with confusion and worry as he peered over the edge of the cloud. But then he saw it was just Nightlight, and he smiled.

Jack laughed and Sandy turned to face him, floating up so they could make eye contact. Jack landed on Sandy's golden cloud and said, "Hey Sandy."

Sandy frowned and made a question mark above his head, then an image of North looking angry, then one of some medical supplies. He looked really worried, because he knew that Jack wasn't allowed to leave the Pole.

Jack quickly said, "Don't worry Sandy, I'm all better now!" Sandy folded his chubby arms, not believing Jack. "Just ask Nightlight!" Sandy rolled his eyes and gave Jack a questioning smile.

Suddenly Jack cried out in surprised pain as he felt something sharp being jabbed into his foot. The winter sprite looked down and saw Katherine's angry little goose, talking out her anger on his right foot. "Kailash!" Jack said as he bent down to pick up the goose, dodging her angry beak. "It's me! It's Jack!"

The little goose stopped pecking at the sound of Jack's voice. She looked up and squawked at him, almost to say, 'Well, sorry. But you kinda deserved it, your foot snuck up on me. Now pick me up before I attack you again.'

"Fine then, miss sassy." Jack bent down reluctantly, obeying the goose's orders. She was never like this; Kailash was a really sweet little bird. She snapped at his hand as he tried to pick her up. "Stupid goose…" Jack muttered.

But as he scooped the yellow, feathery creature into his arms he noticed something. Kailash had some red on her feathers, near her left wing. He examined her wound and saw some feathers where missing, and as he looked down he saw their where drops of blood on Sandy's cloud where she had been seated. Suddenly he felt bad for the goose, and he realized why she had been so grouchy. That must also explain why she wasn't her full size, it was because she couldn't fly.

Jack was about to ask what had happened to her when he heard laughter come from under him. He looked down and saw Nightlight carrying Katherine back up to the cloud, bridal style. She was giggling, her hand over her mouth and her other hand around his neck. It seemed like Nightlight was glowing brighter then usual, his happiness radiating from not just his eyes.

He set her down on the dreamsand and Kailash started squawking, trying to get to her. She nipped Jack's thumb and he yelped, dropping her in surprise. Katherine caught her before she hit the ground, and sighed in relief.

"Jack!" She scolded. "Be careful!"

"Sorry!" Jack said defensively. "She bit me!"

Nightlight snickered as Jack sucked his bleeding thumb. "What happened to her?" He continued.

Katherine stroked Kailash and shushed her, because she was hissing madly. "It was a NightMare, it just caught us by surprise. Hallow caught me when she fell, but Kailash fell pretty hard. I think she is fine though, just a little grumpy."

"Who is Hallow?" Jack asked. He didn't really pay attention to the minor Guardians who worked on this shift, and he hadn't really ever seen them.

"Him." She said simply, pointing over Jack's shoulder. Jack turned and was met with a pair of bright yellow eyes.

"Hey" He said. Jack stepped back in surprise, getting a good look at him. His hair was black, along with his shirt. But he had a streak of white in his thick bangs. His shirt was black and ripped, looking like he had attacked it with scissors. He had a brown cloak on that reminded Jack of his own, but it had a hood, which was up. But the strangest part was the fact he practically glowed a bright yellow, not just his eyes. The glow came from his eyes, back and chest, making him look almost like a Jack-o-Lantern. It came out both sides of his cloak in golden beams.

"Um, hi?" Jack said slowly, trying to take in his strange appearance. He stuck out his hand so they could shake hands, "I'm Jack."

Hollow took Jack's hand and shook it firmly, saying, "As in, Jack Frost?"

"Yep." Jack said.

"Cool. I'm Hallow, but you knew that," He said. Then his gaze turned to behind Jack and smiled saying, "And that's Eve." He pointed behind the group and everyone turned.

Jack turned once again, and his breath caught in his throat. She was beautiful, in an eerie way. It was almost scary how she looked, like a ghost girl.

Her large eyes where a dark grey and outlined in thick lashes and frozen in a innocent look of surprise. Her hair was bright white; swirling around her like it had a mind of its own. Her short dress was white with thick black suspender-like straps that connected to a leather belt at her waist. She wore old black boots and socks. She was playing with her hair, clearly shy and uncomfortable with everyone looking at her.

Jack said their names over and over in his brain trying to imprint them in his mind. Then something clicked.

"Wait… Hallow and Eve?" He said, "Like Hallows Eve, as in Halloween?"

Hallow drifted over to Eve placing his hand on her shoulder. She smiled fondly at him. "Yep, that's us." He said.

Jack moved forward, reaching his hand out to the girl, wanting to shake hands as well.

"Hey, I'm Jack" He said.

She flinched and looked at Hallow, as if to say, 'Should I?' Hallow nodded and she turned to Jack, placing her ice-cold hand in his. Jack smiled at her and she returned it weakly.

Hallow rolled his eyes and said, "Don't believe any of this shy stuff. She is a really big trickster when you get to know her."

Jack smiled, trying to break the ice. He said, "Good to know. Next time me and Nightlight pull a prank, we'll get you in on it."

She smiled and nodded shyly, her dark eyes bright and excited. Jack smiled, he could tell that they where going to get along fine.

Then Katherine stepped forward, clutching Kailash in her bloody arms. The poor goose was so tired and injured; she had fallen asleep despite the conversation being held around her. "Well, I think that that is good for introductions right now. We need to get Kailash back to the pole, immediately." She said smartly.

"Why didn't you leave when it happened?" Jack asked.

Katherine sighed and said, "The only way to get her back to the Pole is if Hallow or Eve carries her, but she wont leave my arms. Plus, that would have just left one guardian here with Sandy, because I would be practically useless. And if one of them carried us both it would just leave one other. The rules are that there must be at least two of us protecting a warren or Guardian at a time."

"Well, how long ago did this happen?"

"Um, about a few hours ago."

"Well then you better going"

Katherine bit her lip and turned to Hallow. "Hallow," She said. "Kailash is asleep now, and I really want to stay with Jack and Nightlight tonight. Can you take her for me?"

Hallow blinked like he was trying to understand. "Um, yeah sure," He said slowly. "But what about you? You can't go 24 hours without sleeping."

It was true. Unlike Nightlight and Sandy, Katherine needed as much sleep as the average person. She couldn't go 24 hours and then do her other shift in the morning.

"Who would cover for you tomorrow? There is no way you can go 36 hours Goose Girl," Jack said.

Nightlight stepped forward and touched his chest, silently volunteering to take her shift.

"Are you sure Nightlight? That would be a 36 hour shift, do you think you can do it?" Katherine asked.

Nightlight nodded. He didn't need the sleep, because he couldn't sleep at all. The only thing that kept him from working all the time was because North wanted someone to always be with Jack. Katherine would take one shift and Nightlight the other. And even though Nightlight didn't need sleep, he couldn't just fight forever. He needed to rest and recharge, even if he didn't need sleep.

Jack chimed in, "Plus, we have me today. If anything happens then I can carry her back, and there will still be Cupid, April, and Nightlight on duty." Then Jack froze in fear, saying, "Wait, where is April and Cupid?"

Hallow spoke up and said, "Don't worry, Cupid took over my post in the West area, and April is at Eve's in the East." Then he turned to Katherine, saying, "Are you sure you want to stay? You took quite a beating back there…"

Katherine's free hand shot defensively to her side, and Jack guessed that she had been injured there in the fight. "I'm fine," She said stubbornly. "I want to be here for Jack's first watch. Don't worry about me, I have Nightlight here now."

She handed her sleeping goose to the floating boy suspended in the air beside them, oblivious to Nightlight's furious blush. Jack shoved Nightlight in the shoulder teasingly, and Nightlight glared at him, as if to say, 'If you say anything at all to her, I will shove you into a cloud and I will make sure you wont get out.'

Jack just smirked at him, knowing that he wouldn't follow through with his threat. They all waved goodbye at Hallow and Eve as they flew away into the night, carrying Katherine's precious goose. Their yellow and silver glow disappeared into the fast forming snowstorm.


	24. Nightmares and Dreams: Chapter 24

~Nightmares, Night-tears, Anxiety Dreams, and Petrified Dreams~

Katherine released a breath that she had been holding as the new guardians flew away into the night with her sleeping goose, knowing Kailash was safe now. She shivered violently as a cold blast of wind hit her, and Nightlight pulled her close. She looked exhausted now that they could get a good look at her without Kailash in her arms. Her side was bloody, she had multiple scrapes on her cheeks, and her pant leg was torn. But the many pouches that sat on her belt remained safe, and her sword was still in her hand, although looked unused. She mustn't have even had a chance to fight back.

The thought made Jack angry. It was like Pitch to attack unfairly, he was very unsportsmanlike. He and Nightlight should have been here, and they should have protected her. Judging by the look on Nightlight's face he had the same thought, feeling the same guilt and anger.

She looked so tired, and Jack knew that she wouldn't be able to patrol in the storm. They would just have to wait for her to fall asleep, which wouldn't be to long.

Nightlight and Jack had a silent conversation. Nodding as if to say, 'We'll wait till she's asleep.'

Then suddenly, as if she had heard their conversation, Katherine yawned and dropped her sword on the cloud sitting down next to her unused weapon. Her movement made snowflakes and dreamsand swirl off the cloud, getting stuck on their clothes.

Jack smiled and sat down next to her, Nightlight on the other side. They stared up at the clouds and the fast falling snowflakes, the moon only slightly visible between the clouds. There where only a few stars visible through the swirling, and Jack's star and Snow's star where two of them. The familiar sight reminded him about his question for Katherine.

Jack said suddenly, "Hey, Goose Girl."

"What Jack?" She responded.

"Um, do you know that rhyme for wishing on stars? The ones that little kids say?" Jack asked hopefully.

Katherine had a strange look on her face, like she didn't understand why Jack would want to even know the name of the rhyme. She was quiet for a moment like she was thinking. Then she said, "Oh! You mean, 'Starlight, Star bright?"

Jack smiled and said, "Yeah! That's the one! How does it go?"

"Just the short version?" She asked.

Jack nodded, not taking his eyes off of his star like he was worried it would disappear.

Katherine smiled and recited the rhyme like she had so many others before,

"Starlight, starbright,  
First star I see tonight.  
I wish I may, I wish I might,  
Have the wish I wish tonight."

There was a moment of silence as the unlikely trio stared up at the stars above.

Then Jack said, "Then you just make your wish?"

Katherine nodded, smiling. After a moment Jack whispered the lines over again, his eyes curious, wondering if it would actually work and his wish would be granted.

"Starlight, starbright,  
First star I see tonight.  
I wish I may, I wish I might….  
Have the wish, I wish tonight."

Jack closed his eyes, envisioning his wish.

Then surprisingly Nightlight then said the lines, barely even an audible whisper,

"Starlight, starbright,  
First star I see tonight.  
I wish I may, I wish I might,  
Have the wish I wish tonight."

After a moment Jack said, "Do you think it worked?"

Katherine shrugged. "I don't know. But I hear if you wish on a star every night, your wish gets stronger." She said thoughtfully.

They sat there, watching the snowfall and dreamsand swirl silently outside. Katherine sighed and leaned on Nightlights shoulder nonchalantly, and he didn't oblige. She yawned, clearly exhausted. After a moment her breathing became deeper and Nightlight tapped Jack on his shoulder, whispering, "Is she asleep?"

Jack scooted closer and looked at Katherine's face and found her eyes where closed, her features wiped of any expression.

Jack nodded at Nightlight, and the boy smiled. Jack waved his hand in the air, trying to get Sandy's attention. The small golden man frowned confusedly, then saw Katherine was dreaming and smiled. He walked over quietly and sprinkled some dreamsand on her. A golden image of 3 miniature people materialized over her head immediately. They where playing in the snow, clearly Nightlight, Jack, and Katherine herself.

Sandy sprinkled more sand on her and she slumped even farther, falling off of Nightlights shoulder. Nightlight tried to catch her, but the dreamsand cloud did it for him. The cloud formed into a chair-like bed for her, curving so she was propped up and comfortable.

Nightlight and Jack stood, shaking the dreamsand off of them. "So, patrol time?" Jack said.

Nightlight nodded and began to walk to the edge of the small cloud. Jack followed him, but was surprised when he was held back by a tight grip on his hoodie.

Jack backed up so Sandy wouldn't choke him. "What is it Sandy?" He said.

Sandy let go and walked in front of the boys, hands on his hips angrily. He made an image of Pitch above his head in dreamsand, then an image of Jack and Nightlight together. Then the golden boys drifted away from each other, until they where far apart. Sandy drew a large X across the scene, and then pulled the two boys back together. The message was clear- Stay together no matter what. Even if Pitch came, there was no splitting up allowed.

Jack nodded. "Stick together, got it."

Sandy smiled and sighed, not just in relief, but in worry. Like everyone else, he was worried for Jack. If Pitch showed up again, he wouldn't be spared like before. Most likely, he would just be killed on the spot. He was the only one who was close enough to Snow to possibly pull her out of Pitch's grasp, and Pitch knew it.

The golden man then walked over to Katherine pulling a small object from one of the leather pouches on her waist.

Sandy walked back over to Jack and placed the object in his outstretched hand. He looked at it closely and saw it was a compass, but not with North, South, East, and West on its corners. There was a small needle inside that was fixed straight ahead, and one line on the compass instead of four. The compass was white on one half and the other half was black. The direction the compass needle was facing was black, which worried Jack.

The compass was clearly meant to find children who where having nightmares. He knew that if he followed the needle, it would take him to the room of a child that needed his help. He shoved it into his jacket pocket without a second thought.

"Thanks Sandy," Jack said. "Be careful okay?"

Sandy grimaced, like he was thinking, 'I'm not the one who should be careful, Jack.' Which didn't really help Jack's nerves.

Then the winter sprite turned to Nightlight who was waiting for him in the air beside the cloud. Then the two guardians took off into the night for Jack's first patrol.

Nightlight always did patrol while Cupid and April guarded Sandy. For the other shift, Katherine patrolled and Eve and Hallow would guard the Sandman. Patrol was basically just roaming through the neighborhoods, visiting houses with children who where having nightmares and helping them dream again with dreamsand. That explained why Katherine had had the compass, because she couldn't sense Nightmares like Nightlight.

The number of nightmares had tripled since Snow disappeared, making Nightlight very busy. He had been helping children with their fears long before he started to patrol with Sandy. There where so many kids though, and he couldn't help them all now. But the moonbeams where always on duty, helping the children of the world as well.

The moonbeams where little orbs of light that watched over the children of the world. Their smiling faces would scare away all bad dreams, and all NightMares. Jack had only seen a few when they followed Nightlight back to the pole. He didn't see any of them now, they must try to stay in the places where the Sandman wasn't because more children needed their help where he was absent.

Jack weaved through the light snowfall easily, but Nightlight had some more trouble flying in the bitter cold. They dived down to the ground, where they landed on a small housetop that was slick with ice and snow. Nightlight rubbed his eyes, trying to peer through the snowfall for a child that needed help. But Jack could tell that it was hard for Nightlight to see though the storm, so he pulled out the compass.

The needle spun for a moment and then stopped, facing the opposite direction that they had come from. Jack walked up to Nightlight and said, "Hey, should we just follow this, so I can lead you there? Or can you see through the storm and lead me?"

Nightlight turned and frowned, shrugging at Jack's question. Then he nodded as he looked at the compass that was locked straight ahead, reasoning it was probably the better option.

Jack said, "Alright then, follow me." Then he took off again into the storm, the magic compass held out in front of him guiding him through the storm.

After a minute of flying he turned to check on Nightlight, finding that the glowing boy was far behind. Jack stopped himself and urged the winds to help Nightlight fly faster, and waited until his friend was next to him.

He smiled at Jack, a little breathless. Jack then turned his attention back to the compass. The needle was pointing a little more to the right now, and it almost seemed like it was pointing down to the ground as well.

Jack said, "I think we're close. It says that we need to go this way." He pointed down to the ground, a little to the right. And sure enough, there was a small house sitting exactly where the arrow was pointing, dressed in Christmas lights from head to toe.

Nightlight smiled and dived down to the house without another word. Jack followed, still holding the compass in his hands. It pointed to a near window, where Nightlight was already peering in the side. Every room in the house had a golden glow, emitting from their golden dreams. But this window was black and vacant. The glowing boy started to slide the window open, then silently slid into the room with a professional manner. He probably had a lot of experience from his years of helping children.

Jack stuffed the compass back into his pocket and followed in after Nightlight, but not nearly as quiet and graceful as he. Jack banged his head on the top of the window, and cursed loudly. Nightlight ran to the window and shushed him, pulling Jack inside quickly and closed the window behind him.

The room was dark, with no lamps. But Nightlight's glow made it seem like he himself was a lamp, casting light and shadow around the walls as he moved. There where hand drawn pictures on the walls, kind of like Jamie's room back in Burgess. But they weren't drawings of the Guardians, they where doodles of deep space adventure scenes. Rocket ships, Martians, unknown planets, and a little boy astronaut filled each one. They were sloppy pictures, but not so sloppy that you couldn't tell what they where.

There where also rocket ships and planets hanging from the ceiling, making eerie shadows in Nightlight's path. Toy space shuttles littered the floor and Jack and Nightlight carefully stepped around them. It was a boy's room for sure; no little girl would be this sloppy.

They neared a very small bed at the end of the room with mounds of sheets all piled on the floor around it. Nightlight floated over the boy's bed, an expression of worry over his face.

The small child thrashed about, whimpering and groaning in fear. He looked about 6 years old, his hair a bright gold and his PJs covered in bright colored planets. His short legs where tangled up in the sheets, like an insect stuck in a spider's web. Beads of sweat trickled down his face as he struggled, trying to escape the fears of his own mind. It was a terrifying sight, and it made Jack want to cry out in fear as well. Darkness seemed to radiate from all around him, the fear tangible in the air. A lump formed in Jack's throat and he almost wanted to run away.

But Nightlight seemed unfazed, despite the dread in the air. He pulled a small pouch of dreamsand from his belts side and filled his hand with its contents. The golden glow cut through the darkness and the very sight of the familiar sand made Jack feel safer.

Nightlight dumped a good amount of sand onto the boy's head, and the child slowly stopped thrashing so violently. His breaths still came out in puffs, his eyebrows still furrowed in fear. Nightlight flew back down and sat on the edge of the child's bed, resting his hand on his head.

As Nightlight stroked the boys head, fingering through his sweaty hair. His breathing slowly calmed, slowing to a normal rate. But shaky gasps would escape his lips every few seconds, breaking Jack's heart with each fearful sound. His nightmare was still going strong, only phased a little by the dreamsand. What was the child's fear that was strong enough to triumph the dreamsand?

After a minute of little to no progress, Nightlight took matters into his own hands. The child needed to be pulled out of his nightmare soon, or else they would loose him completely to a world of fears, a Petrified Dream.

There were a few stories at the Pole that had been going around. Tall tales and stories that minor guardians had either heard of or experienced while helping children around the world. And the newest one was truly terrifying, and everyone had heard it.

There were Nightmares, a normal bad dream. There were Night-Tears, which where quite a bit worse. And there were the worst, Anxiety Dreams. But lately there had been a new kind of nightmare, and it was worse then all the others combined.

They called them Petrified Dreams. The child would freeze up, completely lost from reality. Their minds would become trapped within Petrified dreams, making them literally 'frozen' in fear. There was no way to snap them out of it, no matter what you do. It was terrifying to experience, and worse to witness. Jack had never seen one, and he hoped he never would. But he was worried that he might right now, on his very first patrol. But Nightlight wouldn't ever let that happen.

Jack had never heard Nightlight sing. He had barely even heard the boy talk a few sentences. But his shy speaking was nothing compared to his singing. Jack sat down next to the glowing boy and listened as he sang, his voice soft and delicate like a moonbeam itself. It drew away the fear from the room like a drain in a sink, and the child stilled, listening.

"Nightlight, bright light,  
Sweet dreams I bestow.  
Sleep tight, all night,  
Forever I will glow."

It was short, but it was all that was needed. The small child in the bed froze, and Jack was worried that they where too late and he had become petrified in fear. But then his small chest began to rise and fall, and a small dreamsand picture formed above his dreaming head.

It was an image of the small boy himself, in an astronaut suit that was far too baggy on him. He was floating just outside of his spaceship, surrounded by thousands of stars. His small chubby face beamed with pride as he floated through space. It was a very ambitious dream, but the biggest dreams where always the most beautiful.

Jack smiled, his face illuminated by the golden glow of the dreamsand as well as the innocent child. Nightlight stood and took a corner of a blanket that was on the floor. Jack took the other side, and together they draped it over the sleeping boy's body.

Nightlight hovered off the ground, slowly making his way to the window. But Jack stayed in his spot for a moment, watching the innocent boys frail body breathe in rhythm. He stepped back, and nearly slipped on a discarded toy. He caught himself before he fell, then looked down to see what he had tripped on. It was a small teddy bear, with one ear missing.

Jack picked up the small bear and tucked under the child's arm, careful not to wake him. The boy smiled in his sleep and curled into a small ball, cuddling the bear tightly.

Jack chuckled and carefully walked over to the open window, where Nightlight was waiting. Then they took off into the sky, knowing that they had a long night filled with nightmares ahead.


	25. Shooting Stars and Compasses: Chapter 25

~Mermaids, shooting stars, and compasses~

Jack leaned out a large window, holding onto the old wooden frame for support. He took a dramatic gulp of the cold winter air like he hadn't breathed in hours, savoring the crisp cold. He then went limp and collapsed, falling face-forward onto a slightly sloped roof. A muffled grunt escaped his lips as he landed face first into the deep snow that covered the rooftop. He breathed in the cold air deeply, letting it cool his sweaty forehead and numb his achy limbs.

He and Nightlight had been on patrol for at least 10 hours straight, and Jack was beginning to wonder why he had wanted to do it in the first place. It was nice to get out and fly and help the children, but he was weakened from his days in the infirmary, which made it hard to get around easily. And climbing in and out of children's stuffy bedrooms wasn't his forte either.

Jack, being a winter spirit, was comfortable in negative degree temperatures. Warm, toasty houses felt like ovens in the summer to him. And this particular house had been extra toasty-a small log cabin with a wood-burning stove.

The house was home to a small family: a mother, father, and their two daughters. One of them was older, probably Jack's age. And the other was a small 5-year-old, her name Emily. She had been having a ferocious nightmare, and it had taken Nightlight a very long time to calm her down. Every time he would ease her out of the nightmare, she would just cling to her fears tighter. Why, Jack didn't know. Children had been doing that all night, and it confused him. But then again, he just didn't understand kids these days at all. They would stay inside on snow days and play 'pideo games' and watch the 'Tele-veesion' or whatever they called it.

They had nearly lost her to a petrified dream, but at the last moment Nightlight started to rummage through her drawers frantically. Jack was confused, wondering what he was doing. But after a moment of frenzied searching Nightlight froze, picking us a small piece of paper from the unorganized stack of rubbish. It was a crayon drawing of a mermaid, which clearly had been stuffed into the back of her drawer purposefully. Whether she had been discouraged with the drawings outcome or teased about it, Jack didn't know. But Nightlight probably would, he knew each child's fears and dreams.

He had taken the piece of paper and placed it onto the thrashing child's chest. She stopped, leaving them frozen in fear, wondering if they were too late. But she slowly relaxed, her chubby hands moving up to the picture and hugging it tightly.

A beautiful dreamsand picture had formed above her head, a breath-taking woman with half the body of a fish. She looked much like the mermaid in little Emily's picture. The Mermaid girl pushed with her tail, paddling in the air with her arms. She did many loops in the air, followed by many twirls that made her hair fly around her face, enchanting them where they stood.

But by then Jack had had enough of the dreaded heat. He ran to the nearest window, tearing it open, and flinging himself out of the stuffy house despite Nightlights angry hushes.

Jack panted on the ground as Nightlight hovered over him, scowling in disapproval and annoyance. This was the 5th time Jack had collapsed that night, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

"You… You'll just have to go on without me…" Jack said dramatically with a face full of snow.

Nightlight rolled his eyes and nudged Jack's body with his foot, turning him onto his back. Jack groaned and Nightlight sighed in frustration. He bent down, dropping his spear and grabbing onto Jack's shoulders, pulling him up to a sitting position. But as soon as he let go Jack plopped back onto the ground with a loud, "Oof!"

Nightlight tilted his head back in groaned in exasperation, making Jack chuckle. Then he bent back down, trying again, this time harder.

He heaved Jack to a sitting position, and then steadied him so he couldn't fall. He then made his way to the back of the annoying winter spirit and pushed for all he was worth, struggling to get Jack standing again.

Jack dug his hands into the snow, searching for something to hold onto. But Nightlight was stronger then he appeared, and in one big heave Jack was on his feet.

Jack groaned with fatigue and tried to collapse back down again. But Nightlight's hands shot under his arms, holding him up against his will. Jack smiled at Nightlight's poor choice of action and went completely limp in his arms, lifting his feet completely off the ground.

Nightlight struggled and panted, trying to walk Jack to the end of the roof and throw him off so he would have no choice but to fly. But before he could reach the edge he tripped and the two collapsed into the snow, laughing like crazy hyenas.

Jack tried to laugh and breathe at the same time, which was hard considering his friend was crushing his lungs and his face was buried in the deep snow. Nightlight rolled off of Jack, hugging his aching sides with his eyes watering. Jack pushed up out of the snow and gasped, inhaling the brisk air. Nightlight snorted loudly at the sight of his snow-covered face, making them laugh harder.

Jack wiped the snow off of his nose and cheeks and rolled onto his back so his head was facing the top of the roof, placing his hands behind his head as a pillow. Nightlight then lay down next to him, placing his hands behind his head as well, making a conscious effort to be 'cool' like he thought Jack was.

Jack smiled as they stared up at the stars in silence, just enjoying each other's company. The quiet in the air wasn't awkward or forced. It just felt, natural. And besides, the view above had rendered Jack speechless anyway.

The scene spread out above the two looked like a blanket, draped over the atmosphere covering each corner of the sky. Or maybe a canvas, covered with the work of the best abstract painter in the world. Blue, purple, silver and gold galaxies were scattered about the twinkling stars, along with Milky Way. And although the scene was perfectly still, it looked like it was constantly moving, as if in water. It was breathtaking, something you could never see in a city or smoggy town with just the naked eye.

Then something streaked across the spread of still sky, nearly making Jack gasp. It was a shooting star, brighter then any he had ever seen. It ran across the sky, burning brightly and passionately in the few seconds that it would ever be seen before disappearing back into the never-ending void of space.

"Cool…" Jack breathed.

Nightlight smiled. "Make a wish," He said.

Jack frowned. "You can wish on shooting stars too?"

Nightlight nodded. "You can wish on a bunch of stuff. Katherine told me so."

"Oh," Jack said. "Well, I wish tha-"

"Shhhh!" Nightlight said loudly, slapping his hand over Jack's mouth.

"Wah ih iht?" Jack asked; his words muffled by Nightlight's hand.

"You can't say it out loud! You need to keep it a secret, or it won't work!"

"Hy?" Jack said.

"Katherine told me that if you tell a person your wish, it wouldn't come true. And sometimes if you say it out loud the exact opposite happens."

"Oh..." Jack said. He had never known that before. He and Snow used to stargaze all the time, and they would tell each other what they wished for each night. Jack usually wished that it would be a snow day the next day in Burgess so they could play with Jamie, and Snow would with that they would always be friends. Girls were just mushy that way. Jack would tease her and shove her off the roof, reprimanding her that they would always be friends, and she didn't need to waste her wish on it.

But had their spoken wishes ruined everything? Did saying them out loud and not keeping them secret make them actually do the opposite of the things that they wished for? It all made sense, Jack wished for a 'fun' snow day. Now every day was a snow day, but it wasn't very fun for all the children who where trapped inside of homes without heating and electricity. And Snow had wished that they would always be friends-and now they were enemies. Did their wishes cause all of this?

"Okay then," Nightlight said. "Make your wish in your head."

"All right," Jack said, thinking hard. It had to be the perfect wish, with no loopholes. He had a feeling that this wish would be strong because it was a shooting star he was wishing on and not just a normal star. But what was there to wish for? Surely, a shooting star could never mend Snow or bring her back. No star could stop this raging snowstorm, or save one of the guardians from the Man in the Moon's prophecy. If only there was a way to mush all of the wishes into one.

Jack thought for a moment, pondering how he could possibly make such a wish for everything to work out. Then he smiled as the perfect request formed in his head. He had just overthought it, the wish was easier then he had thought

'I wish,' He said aloud in his thoughts simply, 'That everything will work out for the best.'

He stared up into the sky, hoping that that one little star could have possibly heard him, and taken his request. He knew wishing on stars was just a myth for kids and nothing more, but when he would do it, it seemed to ease his conscience a little. And even thought it seemed there wasn't really any hope left, for a moment everything felt all right again. And even if it was just for a moment, it was better then nothing. And Jack would wish on hundreds of stars if he could always have that hope in his heart.

Nightlight sighed and Jack looked over at his friend, who was lost in his deep thought as he stared up at the stars. His face was shining with his natural silvery glow, and in the light of the moon Jack could see shadows in Nightlight's face that he had never seen before, etched with years of sadness.

Jack didn't know all of Nightlight's backstory. Not many really did, but Jack knew enough. Nightlight had once protected the Man in the Moon himself, giving him sweet dreams as he grew up. But the rumors going around the pole all said that one fateful day Pitch and his crew of what they called 'Dream Pirates' attacked their home, trying to give the Man in the Moon a nightmare since he was the one child who had never had one. Jack had never seen Dream Pirates, and he wished he would never have the chance to.

Well, Nightlight, being Manny's bodyguard, took it upon himself to protect the Man in the Moon (Or was it Baby in the Moon?).

Jack had never heard two people tell this story the same way, but they all had the same ending. Nightlight ended up sending Pitch to earth, and in doing so he gave himself up to save the Man in the Moon by sealing himself away into Pitch. He became trapped inside Pitch's cold heart, and how long they can't say. But it was for centuries, and centuries, and when Nightlight finally got out a very long time had passed. When he escaped from Pitch's heart, it set the Nightmare King free as well.

Nightlight said he didn't remember the days when he guarded the Man in the Moon. The years in Pitch's cold heart had destroyed his memories. Jack couldn't imagine being all alone, trapped inside of the very heart of the bogyman himself, and being there for years and years. No person should ever have to do that, or go through it again. Jack felt like it was his job to keep Nightlight safe from then on. He knew what it felt like to be alone, and he knew what it did to people. It made them desperate for companionship, and he himself knew that it could make you desperate enough to turn evil, just for one friend. Emma was living proof of that.

Maybe if he had talked to her more, or let her know that he would have never left her she would have stayed. But deep down, Jack knew that she was going to leave all along. It felt like each person came with their own destiny, and hers had always been to leave. It was like her future had been decided for her long before she met Jack, and It could have never have been changed.

Nightlight stretched his arms out, letting a large yawn escape from his lips. He sat up while rubbing his eyes, grabbing his spear beside him. He used it to help him up to back to a standing position. He turned around to face Jack, and Jack snapped his eyes shut pretending to be asleep.

Nightlight nudged Jack with his foot, and Jack fake snored. Nightlight sighed and bent down next to Jack, on his knees. Jack peeked one eye open to see what Nightlight was doing, and he was met with a mischievous smile that made him raise his eyebrows in alarm.

Nightlight took both of his hands and shoved Jack's side, hard. Jack yelped in surprise, searching around madly for his staff, which he had made the mistake of leaving on the ground beside him. But he was too close to the edge, and Nightlight had pushed too hard for him to reach it before his thin body rolled off the edge.

Jack hollered as he tumbled out of sight, his arms and legs flailing in the air. It was a short fall because the house was so small, but Jack didn't have his staff with him. He was falling at the same rate of a normal human, not a sprite. And Jack had seen humans fall off of roofs plenty of times; and they were not graceful. Sometimes they would slip on his frost while putting up Christmas lights and slide right off, and most of the time they ended up with broken bones while Jack laughed in the background. Now Jack would know what it would feel like to fall off of a roof, and not to be the one making people fall off in the first place.

But, luckily, Jack landed in a large snow bank, which broke his ungraceful descent.

But, unluckily, he landed on his stomach, getting winded in the process.

He groaned like a dying animal, causing Nightlight to chuckle from up on the roof. Jack glared up at him with his eyes squinted in pain as he tried to breathe normally.

"Bulb Brain!" He shouted weakly, the wind still knocked out of him. Nightlight grabbed Jack's staff and flew down to the ground, placing one foot triumphantly on his back as he waved both staffs in the air.

"Gerrof me!" Jack said harshly, twisting onto his back. Nightlight jumped off of him before he could fall and stabbed Jack's staff into the snow beside him.

Jack closed his eyes and panted on the ground, trying to make Nightlight feel guilty.

"It's my leg Nightlight…" He said as he pretended to be in intense pain. "I think you broke my leg…"

Nightlight rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, not believing any of Jack's tricks. He had seen them all, and Jack didn't have many more pranks up his sleeve that Nightlight didn't know about; and they had only know each other for less than a week.

Jack groaned and said, "You're no fun! Katherine would have fallen for that!"

Nightlight smiled and reached his hand out to Jack. "Yeah," He said. "But she doesn't know you like I do."

Jack smiled and took his staff in hand, saying, "Yeah, I guess."

Nightlight chuckled and grabbed onto Jack's outstretched hand, pulling him up to his feet. Jack brushed the snow off himself, patting his pockets like he was forgetting something.

Nightlight had already started walking away from Jack, heading south. Sandy was probably finishing up his rounds there, and that was their next stop. But it felt like something was wrong, almost like Jack had forgotten something.

He began to walk forward anyway because Nightlight had taken off into the night, and he didn't want to loose him. But he stepped on something that was hard, making him exclaim and look down and search for the object he had stepped on. There was a small black and white object sitting in the snow and Jack bent over and picked it up curiously.

As he wiped off the snow he saw it was his compass, the rounded edges covered with frost. He laughed to himself and said, "Why, wasn't that lucky? I wouldn't want to loose you, Sandy would kill me."

He then started to run towards Nightlight, taking off into the air with a running jump. Nightlight's glow began to fade into the darkness, and Jack willed the winds to go faster. Nightlight probably thought that Jack was right behind him, which worried Jack. If he lost Nightlight, it would take the boy a while to realize he wasn't behind him.

Jack looked down at the compass to see what direction he needed to go, but had to do a double take at what he saw. He raised the compass to his eyes and looked down at the needle that was supposed to point in the direction of a child who was experiencing a nightmare and needed their aid. But it wasn't fixed in a straight position like it normally was; it was revolving frantically in a complete circle.

Jack scoffed at the strange behavior of what used to be a very reliable compass. "What in the world?" He whispered.

Was the compass busted from all the snow? It had never done this before, it had always pointed straight. Maybe it just didn't know where to point too anymore. Or, maybe it just had too many places to point too all at once. Too many nightmares for it to be able to compute, rendering it useless.

Jack's head shot up in alarm, searching for Nightlight. If the spectral boy could too sense nightmares, would he become overwhelmed like the compass with all the nightmares at once? Like a computer with too much data, would his mind overload and was he now like this compass, confused and unaware of what was really going on?

"Nightlight!" He screamed as he flew after the boy. "Nightlight stop! Something isn't right!"

But Nightlight didn't stop. He didn't even slow down.

Jack mustered up his strength and poured every bit of his energy into his flying speed. He had to get to Nightlight, before he did something irrational.

But still something seemed to hold Jack back. Maybe it was Snow controlling the winds, or the storm clouds moving in. But it was probably the fact that as Jack flew through the storm towards his friend, he had the faintest feeling he was being watched. And he also had the feeling that maybe, just maybe, he was flying straight into a trap.


	26. Jack's Decision: Chapter 26

~Jack's Decision~

The open forest under Jack made him feel venerable, and pushed him to fly harder. He flew faster then he had ever flown before, the world around him a greyish white blur. Something was wrong, but what it was he had no idea. He just needed to get to Nightlight, soon.

After the countless hours flying together that night they had learned it was pointless to stop and make sure that they hadn't lost each other. They always managed to stay together, and little check ups just made them go slower.

That was what worried him; it could be a long time before Nightlight would stop to see if they were together if he stopped at all. But for now, they were both separated and venerable until Nightlight realized they were apart. But if he was acting like this compass and he wasn't thinking straight, then how long would it take?

After a moment to Jack's relief he exited the vast woodland and entered a small town. He couldn't recognize it in the deep snowstorm; besides, he wasn't paying attention to the buildings below. All he was focused on was the Nightlight's light ahead, growing brighter by the minute.

After a moment the dim glow ahead started to become crisper, forming arms and legs, a torso and a head. Jack laughed in disbelief, comforted that Nightlight had the sense to stop and wait for him.

But the calm moment was short lived as soon as Jack saw Nightlight's face.

It just, wasn't right. He wasn't hurt, but he looked cold. He was caked in snowflakes, they covered his wispy hair and face and he was shivering slightly. But what worried Jack wasn't the outside of him, it worried him what was going on inside.

Eyes are windows to the mind, and the soul. And Jack could see, through Nightlight's wide eyes, something was wrong. They were milky white and glazed over slightly, making him look like a ghost. But at the same time it looked like his mind was racing a million miles an hour, unable to keep up with all the Nightmares all at once. Pitch had taken Nightlight's unique gift and had turned it into a weakness. His mind would surely snap if he remained this way.

Jack flew up to Nightlight and touched his face, brushing off the snow and trying to bring him back to the world of reality. Jack could see that unseen images were flashing in Nightlight's mind, making him as unaware and as venerable as a sitting duck. It was worse then he could have ever imagined. He hadn't even considered the fact that Nightlight could really become this way, like the compass, even though he had thought about it a moment ago. Nightlight just seemed so collected; it was hard to see him this way. It was like a dream.

No, it was a Nightmare.

"Hey Nightlight?" Jack said, trying to mask the fear in his voice. "Can you hear me at all buddy?"

Nightlight blinked as if to clear his mind, his lips moving like he wanted to say something. "Jack?" He managed to whisper.

Jack bent his head down and sighed in relief. Nightlight was okay, or at least going to be.

He looked up at his friend and knew that he had to snap him out of it somehow. Jack grimaced as he drew his hand back from Nightlight's face, knowing that his friend wouldn't approve of what he was going to do. He then squinted his eyes shut and threw his hand forward as hard as he could, whipping it across Nightlight's unaware face. The crack of skin on skin echoed through the rooftops. Jack palm stung with pain, turning a bright red that didn't match the paleness of him normal completion. He looked up and saw that Nightlight's cheek was the same, an abnormal shade of red that popped against his pale tones.

To Jack's surprise Nightlight's own hand shot up to his fire hot cheek, his eyes clearing as he registered the pain he was feeling. Jack face was contorted with many emotions: remorse, apology, and guilty amusement.

Nightlight blinked hard, his eyes focusing on Jack's face.

"Can you hear me now?" Jack asked, advancing towards him.

Nightlight nodded, slowly sinking down to the ground below as he came back to the world of reality. Jack grabbed his free arm and slung it over his shoulders, keeping Nightlight airborne. Nightlight just blinked, still trying to understand what had just happened.

"Hey?" Jack asked. "You okay? What happed back there?"

Nightlight's eyes flickered with a slight recognition of where he was and whom he was talking too. "I…I don't know. This has never happened before."

Jack drifted towards a near rooftop of a small home, landing on the chimney that sprouted from the roof. Nightlight leaned on his staff, his eyes glazing over again. Jack took his ice-cold hands and placed them on his cheeks, trying to keep him awake. He had questions that had to be answered.

"What's going on? What is happening to the children?" Jack asked.

Nightlight stared into Jack's face but his eyes were not focused. "The children…" He said, trailing off again and his eyes glazing over once more.

Jack winced, knowing that he might have to slap Nightlight again. But then he decided that even though a snowball would make him colder, it was better than hurting him again. Slapping him over and over must not be good for his face; he could have Jack's handprint imprinted onto his cheek for the rest of his life (Although Jack thought that that would be pretty funny).

Jack bent down and scooped up some snow, packing it into a tight ball then blowing frost over it. He stood up again and faced Nightlight with a grimace, wondering how he could make this as painless as possible. After a moment of deciding he gave up and just shoved the snowball into Nightlight's face like it was a pie or a piece of cake, smearing it all over for full effect.

Nightlight nearly fell off the roof in surprise. He coughed and wiped the snow off his face, glaring at Jack.

"You are enjoying this much more then you should be, you know that?" Nightlight said after a long moment.

Jack chuckled. "Its not my fault that you keep on zoning out."

Nightlight rubbed his head, and Jack realized how bad he looked. He had dark circles underneath his eyes and he looked really tired even though he didn't ever need sleep. And his bright red cheek didn't help very much either.

Jack stepped forward, saying, "Are you okay?"

Nightlight nodded. "I think so…" He said, nearly collapsing to the ground.

Jack caught him and propped Nightlight up on his shoulder so he couldn't fall. "What is happening to you? Are the kids okay?"

Nightlight closed his eyes, concentrating. "The nightmares…" He said. "There are too many…. all at once. Where are we right now?"

"I don't know," Jack said. "The snow is too thick."

Jack sat Nightlight down onto the chimney's edge because he was getting to tired to keep him standing. Nightlight leaned on his staff, squinting off into the storm. Jack followed suit, scanning the neighborhood road for a sign or a license plate. But the street signs were too far away to read and all the cars were covered with snow, not a license plate in sight. Jack sighed in annoyance, wondering if he would go and have to clean off a car to be able to see the plate, or go find a sign. But something far off caught his eye, making him do a double take.

A few houses away sat a small house, illuminated by its colorful Christmas lights and a near streetlamp. A snowman sat in the center in the yard, slowly disappearing into the deep snow. But that wasn't what caught Jack's eye, it was the object propped up against the snowman.

It was a simple sled, wooden and old with red runners along the bottom. But Jack had seen that sled before, dozens and dozens of times, and had ridden it once as well. It belonged to Jamie, and now that he recognized the sled he realized that it sat in the Bennett's front yard. That meant that they were atop the house that belonged to the twins, Claude and Caleb. It surprised him that he hadn't noticed before.

"We…. We're in Burgess," Jack said with disbelief. "How are we are in Burgess?" He was shocked that they had traveled this so far east.

"How do you know we are in Burgess?" Nightlight said.

"I have seen this neighborhood before. The kids that live on this street helped us fight Pitch about two years ago. I used to live here," Jack replied. "I come here all the time."

Nightlight nodded, as if linking the abnormality of the nightmares with the children's connection to Pitch. He closed his eyes and breathed deep, like he was thinking and formulating a plan. Or, maybe he was just trying to stay conscious.

Jack waited for Nightlight to speak again, but after many minutes of silence he broke the quiet, saying, "So, what are we going to do?"

Nightlight remained quiet, and Jack leaned over curiously to see what was occupying him. He saw that his friend's eyes were still closed, and his face wiped of emotion. He tried to poke him and push him, but he remained emotionless. Jack placed his pointer finger and thumb on top and bottom of his eye and forcefully opened it.

Nightlight's eye was once again glazed over, and Jack sighed in frustration. He wasn't very patient, and this was beginning to bug him. They couldn't get anything done if he was going to zone out every two minutes. They had to get rid of these nightmares soon, before they could inflict permanent damage on his brain.

Jack floated down while scooping a handful of snow from the chimney top and packed it into a loose ball. He floated in front of Nightlight and landed on the roof, his sitting friend eye level with him. He then shoved the ball of snow into his emotionless face for what was now the second time that night.

Nightlight flinched and his eyes shot open in confusion and fear. Then his lime green orbs narrowed in annoyance.

"I'm going to get you back for this someday," He said.

Jack chuckled and said, "Sorry, but what can I do? It's either the snow, or a slap. Your choice."

Nightlight grimaced and said, "We need to get out of here, there are too many Nightmares for us to handle. Its not normal."

Jack turned abruptly his eyes wide with surprise. "We are just going to leave the kids here? Nightlight," He said, "We need to help them. We can't just leave! This is our job! Can't you get this whole thing under control?" Jack asked.

Nightlight shuddered. "I don't know. This isn't normal. Jack, what if I go into a petrified dream? What if you can't wake me up?"

Jack stared at his friend fearfully. "But you don't sleep."

"I don't need to sleep," Nightlight said. "I am getting flashes of each of the nightmares in this area, but there are so many that they just keep coming. If I keep blacking out like this, I could freeze up for good."

Jack paused for a moment and leaned on his staff in deep thought, torn between protecting the children and helping his best friend. Then an idea struck him. "Hey!"

"What?"

"We just need to get rid of the nightmares and you will be okay right?" Jack said.

Nightlight sighed. "Jack, there are so many. We can't do it all in time, I cant hold on much longer."

Jack furrowed his brow. "But what if we fly away and the nightmares keep on coming? What then?"

Nightlight frowned. "But, I usually cant see them if I am far away."

"Ya, but this usually doesn't happen either right?"

Nightlight's tired eyes were full of confusion as he tried to decide what was better. "We cant help them all Jack," He said.

"What if we split up?" Jack said hopefully. He didn't want to leave his first believers here when they needed him most.

"I-I don't know," Nightlight said. "It's a little risky. What if I black out and your not near to wake me up?"

"I will get some of the kids, you can get the others. I will be fast, and if you black out you will be safe inside and I will come and find you and wake you up again," Jack said. "And if I get all of the kids nightmares fixed, then you wont black out."

Nightlight looked uneasy. He was already confused with all the things going on in his head, and Jack wasn't helping matters.

"It doesn't feel right." He said finally.

"That's just because you are all loopy," Jack said with a convincing voice. "It is a perfect plan."

"Perfect plan…" Nightlight echoed. He looked lost, and Jack knew that if he was really all there that he would never approve of this.

"Good boy," he said slowly. "Now, who needs our help?"

Nightlight closed his eyes tight, trying to read the images that were flashing in his mind. "Pip-Pippa. And a Monty? Yes, Monty. There is a Claude and a Caleb. Cake? No, Cupcake. And a little girl with a name that starts with an S."

"Sophie?" Jack asked.

Nightlight nodded. "Yes, Sophie. Her nightmare about….spiders."

"Umm…Alright then." Jack said, surprised that he hadn't mentioned Jamie.

"No Jamie?" He asked. Nightlight shook his head.

"Okay, I will get the other side of the street with Pippa, Monty, and Sophie. You just need to get the twins, and they live here. Cupcake is 3 houses down, alright?" Jack said.

Nightlight nodded drowsily, muttering, "Claude, Caleb, Cupcake. Claude, Caleb, Cupcake." He was starting to nod off again, and Jack was getting more worried now and less annoyed..

"How can I keep you awake?" Jack muttered under his breath. Then he smiled as the perfect solution formed in his head.

He bent down and grabbed a handful of snow, squeezing it tightly in his grasp. It immediately became a small ball of ice, like an ice cube. He then walked to the back of Nightlight, who had become so sleepy that he didn't even notice. Jack then pulled the back of Nightlight's shirt away from him, making a small opening between the fabric and his bare skin. He quickly shoved the small piece of ice down his shirt, letting the shirt snap back into place and seal the ice on his back.

Nightlight shuddered violently and started clawing at his back immediately. "I'm up! I'm up!" He shouted, spinning in circles as he tore at his shirt and the ice chunk that was now melting down his back.

"Good! Now go!" Jack said, pushing Nightlight off the chimney.

"Okay!" Nightlight said optimistically, giving Jack thumbs up, clearly still drowsy and a looking a little intoxicated. He then dived off the roof and out of sight, bumping into the wall below with a loud thud. Jack could hear the opening and closing of a window, and waited until it was sealed before he took off to go and do his part.

Nightlight's glow disappeared as he climbed in the room, clicking the window shut behind him. The night suddenly felt colder and the storms felt stronger without Nightlight's calming light nearby. But what really scared Jack was the fact he was alone.

He hadn't been alone for a really long time; he had had a companion ever since he had been trapped in Snow's icy cage. There was always a yeti nearby, Katherine, or Nightlight to watch over him and make sure that he would be safe because they all knew that Pitch was out to get him. But now he was alone again, and he was starting to become fearful that he had made the wrong decision spitting up with Nightlight. He could see Sandy's face in his thoughts, his dreamsand pictures forming the message, 'Stay Together." It was his one rule, and they had broken it. But Jack didn't normally follow rules anyway.

Besides, it would just be a few minutes. They would be fine.

"Yeah," Jack muttered under his breath, trying to comfort himself. But it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself. He was beginning to go a little hazy from the lack of sleep, and he didn't even notice as he flew off the roof he began rambling fearfully.

"We are going to be fine. We are going to be fine. Nightlight is going to be fine. Snow is going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine. Everything is going to get better. Yes, Better.

"Everything will turn out for the better."


	27. Pippa and Monty: Chapter 27

~At Pippa's and Monty's~

Jack went to Pippa's house first because it was closest. He circled the house until he found her window, the only one with no golden glow inside. It was locked, and he had to circle the house again to find an icicle to pick the window's latch. After a moment of searching he found a long skinny one and picked her lock with it until it popped open, feeling a little like some sort of a burglar.

He climbed in the window quickly, sealing it behind him. He noticed that her room was very hot and stuffy, but maybe it was just because he had gotten used to the snowstorm outside.

Papers littered the walls and the floor, as well as pencils. He couldn't see much of the room in the dim light of the moon. But he could make out faint drawing on each piece of paper, sketched in pencil. He bent down and picked one up, bringing it close to his eyes. It was a drawing of a flower, long swirling petals and breathy vines. It looked good, like, really good. But then Jack noticed that it wasn't a flower Pippa had drawn at all. A window-like box surrounded it, ruling out the possibility of it being a plant. It was a drawing of a frost-covered window.

Jack dropped the picture and picked up a different one, and another and another. They were all the same, each more beautiful and more unique then the last.

"Whoa…" Jack breathed. He didn't know that Pippa like to draw, or that she could draw at all.

Jack's attention was turned away from her drawings when he heard a soft moan from across the room. He looked up and saw a silhouette of a large bed, covered in blankets. The mound of fabric started to move slowly, followed by soft whimpers.

Jack carefully stepped to the bed, cautious of the works of art that littered the floor. He pulled the blankets back and found Pippa sound asleep, her eyebrows furrowed and her forehead sweaty. Her short hair was shoved into her beloved beanie, dirty from the years of wear and tear. Her breathing was sharp and shallow, her fingers clenched into fists.

Jack touched her forehead and found she was burning up. That sometimes was the cause of a nightmare, simply overheating while sleeping.

Jack pulled her blankets off of her and tossed them onto the floor. She started to calm a little with the change in temperature. Now that she was quiet Jack noticed that there was a slight humming coming from the hallway, and he cracked her door open to inspect the sound. Sitting in the middle of the hallway was a huge piece of machinery, humming loudly as it vibrated with power. It was a generator, its long cords stretching in all different directions. The power in their home must be out, or the heating might just be busted.

Jack followed one of the cords with his eyes and found that it ran into Pippa's room. It was connected to a small heater in the corner that he hadn't noticed before. He went to it quickly and turned it down to the lowest setting, then walked back to window and cracked it. The cool air came in and the temperature dropped as the cold seeped in, making its way to Pippa. He watched as the cold air washed over her features and tired body. Her face and body slowly relaxed, and her breathing deepened to a normal pace. Jack placed a thin sheet over her thin body before he left, worried she would get too cold with nothing. He stood back and admired his work, surprised that it had been that easy. Pippa was pretty relaxed though, and quite fearless. He knew that it wouldn't be that hard to get her out of her nightmare.

He took a small pouch out of his pocket and opened the drawstring top. It was filled with glimmering dreamsand, a gift from Sandy. He turned it upside down and poured all of it onto Pippa's beanie covered head. It filled itself automatically after each use, so he wouldn't have to worry about saving some for Monty and Sophie.

A dreamsand picture formed over her head, illuminating her smiling face with a soft golden glow. It was a small dreamsand version of Pippa herself. She sat in front of a large canvas that was propped up on a large easel. She was smiling wildly as she glanced down at her paint palette that rested in her left hand, a paintbrush in her right. She dipped the paintbrush and began to paint on her large canvas, making long swooping lines and beautiful flowery designs. It looked just like frost.

Jack laughed to himself as he tucked the dreamsand pouch back into his pocket, heading towards the open window.

"One down, two to go." He whispered right before he took off into the storm again. But he lingered a moment longer, letting frost burst from his fingers and cover her window, a silent message to her that he had come to see her.

Monty was harder than Pippa had been. He had fallen asleep with his glasses on, and the first thing Jack did was take them off carefully and fold them up, then he placed them on his nightstand. The room was normal temperature and he didn't have any blankets on, but beads of sweat were trailing down his face anyway. Jack tried propping him up in to different positions, wedging a small teddy bear into his arms, closed the closet (sometimes children feared 'monsters in the closet')and turning on his forgotten nightlight (he apparently had power unlike Pippa). But nothing was working, and Monty wasn't getting any better. He thrashed about on his bed, groaning with his hands and jaw clenched.

Jack sat on the edge on Monty's bed and ran his fingers through his hair nervously. He had tried everything. If he didn't figure out Monty he was having a nightmare about soon, he could easily slip into a petrified dream. But what did he fear? Jack knew that he was nervous and anxious a lot and feared many things, but was that really what was bugging him? It seemed like it was something specific, not just the many things he stressed about on a daily basis.

As Jack sat there is silence he suddenly heard something from downstairs that pulled him from his thoughts. He listened more intently and found it was a voice, talking downstairs. It was overly optimistic and fake; Jack had never heard anyone talk like that in real life. It must be the TV, with a newsperson or weatherperson talking on air. He listened keenly, trying to focus on the words. It was a weatherman, reporting on the storm that Snow had created just less than a week ago.

"A large storm is moving in from the east this evening," He said enthusiastically. "And by large, I mean large-er! That's right folks, about 2 more feet of snow is on its way tonight, and we are expecting more tomorrow afternoon. For those out of power, hold tight! It could be weeks before this blows over, rescue teams have been traveling around with food and recourses. Keep an eye out if they come down you street. Travel on the roads has been banned due to the ice rain, as well as airplane travel. No one will be going to school or flying anytime soon, airports are closed all around, including in Beaver Falls, Williamsport, Pottstown…."

Jack stood, having heard enough. He glanced down at Monty's woeful face with pity. Was the storm worrying him? It made him sad to think that the children that had once loved his snow now possibly gave them nightmares.

Jack bent down onto his knees and brushed Monty's hair out of his face. But now that he was eye level with the boy he noticed that his pillow was propped at a strange angle, like something large was stuffed underneath. He curiously slid his hand underneath and pulled out a long piece of fabric, a deep royal purple. It was a scarf, long golden tassels at the ends. Why did Monty have this under his pillow?

Jack slipped his hand under the pillow again, and his fingers wrapped around something skinny and cold. He pulled it out and found it was a small daisy, its petals crushed by the weight of Monty's head. Why did he have a scarf and a flower under his pillow?

Jack slowly slipped his hand under the pillow again, searching for anything else. He felt something small and hard, like a piece of corn. He pulled it out and found it was a human baby tooth, not bigger than the tip of his pinky. Then, everything fell into to place.

Jack had noticed that every time he mentioned Toothaina in his visits to Burgess Monty's face would light up, then he would turn away blushing madly. Every time the boy saw the beautiful fairy he was too embarrassed to speak a word, his face glowing a bright crimson. Jack had never really thought twice about is affection for Tooth, she was beautiful. It was hard not to like her.

Monty was a stressor. He stressed about a bunch of things, and Jack knew it. He had been trying to help him become looser in his visits on snow days with Snow. He should have known that in this deep storm when airports were closed and people where not allowed to fly in the blizzard that he would have first thought of his crush, Toothaina. He must have been worried about her flying in the harsh storm to retrieve his teeth, and had placed a scarf under his pillow for her (As well as a flower, for gentlemen reasons). He then had fallen asleep, worrying about her safety in the whiteout storm.

He smiled as he gazed down at the boy, noticing that his teeth were looking very white and well taken care of (To impress her, surly). How could he help him know that Tooth was fine?

Jack smiled as the perfect plan came to mind. He leaned down and whispered in Money's ear in a very bad impersonation of Toothaina, his voice high and falsely excited.

"Thanks so much for the scarf and the flower Monty!" He whispered shrilly. Monty smiled childishly as his cheeks become a furious shade of red, his body suddenly relaxing. "You don't need to worry about me and the Baby Teeth, we are used to storms. Jack will keep us safe!"

Monty sighed and rolled over, seeming satisfied with Jack's poor imitation of Tooth. His breathing deepened as he drifted back into a deep sleep.

Jack smiled and stood, placing Monty's tooth into his pocket as well as the flower. He looked at the scarf awkwardly, debating if he should put it on. It looked really girly, so he decided he would wrap it around his staff until he got the pole. He pulled out the bag of dreamsand and dumped it onto Monty's head, the grains spilling over his head and onto his pillow. A golden image of a miniature Monty and Tooth appeared over his head standing in the middle of the air. The small Monty looked up bashfully at Tooth, then raised his cubby hand up to her face. A beautiful flower formed of dreamsand in his hand and Tooth gasped in delight, taking it gracefully. She swooped down and planted a kiss on his cheek, much to the pleasure of Monty.

Jack smiled down at his work, proud that he had done it alone a second time, without Nightlight. He wondered if Nightlight was feeling better now that some of the nightmares were gone. If he could sense they were there, could he sense them when they were gone?

Jack froze as a new possibility came to mind. Could Pitch sense it when a nightmare turned into a dream, like how Nightlight could sense when a nightmare was nearby? Could he be following them even now, by the trail of dreams they left behind? Could he be here, in this very room, right now? He had had the feeling that he was being watched this whole time, it all made sense now.

Jack immediately spun around without a second thought, his mind racing with fear that the Boogeyman was behind him. But he was met with nothing but darkness, and a wide-open closet.

Wait…The closet was open?

He jumped forward automatically, searching the closet feverishly with his eyes. He swore he saw a shadow move within the depths of the neatly arranged clothes, but it disappeared before he could take a second glance. He backed up slowly, keeping his guard high. He had closed the closet right? All of his emotions and reflexes were pointing in one direction, shouting the same thing as loud as they could:

Trap.

Jack shook his head, trying to clear the strong feelings of uneasiness. "Calm down Jack buddy," He said to himself. "Its okay. We are almost done, hold it together."

He opened the window, bracing himself against the harsh winds and bitter cold. He squinted his eyes shut and climbed out, flying off into the night.

"Just one more to go…."


	28. Fool Me Once: Chapter 28

~"Fool you once, shame on me... Fool you twice..."~

"Sophie!" Jack whispered desperately, sweat trailing down his furrowed brow. "Sophie, please! Calm down!"

But the small 4-year-old girl continued to thrash like she was under the water, her body wrapped in a cocoon-like shell of blankets. Jack was trying to peel them off of her, but to no avail. She continued to gasp desperately and thrash about like she was covered in invisible spider webs, swatting Jack's helping hands away. Her pink butterfly wings peeked out from under the tight blankets making her seem like a butterfly trapped in a spider's web.

"Sophie, its me!" Jack whispered, placing his hands on her chest. "Its Jack! Please Sophie!"

Sophie stopped for a moment like she had heard his voice in the depths of her dream, then continued thrashing as before like nothing happened. Jack began to shake in fear and fatigue, wracking his brain for anything he hadn't tried. He had tried putting her stuffed bunny next to her, opening the window, and turning on her lamp. But she showed no sign of improvement. She was just getting worse.

Nightlight had said that her nightmare was about spiders. Why? Well, probably because spiders ate butterflies. She loved butterflies as much as she loved Snow, which was a lot. But how could Jack possibly get her out of this spider filled nightmare?

He reached down and touched her forehead, sticky with sweat and her crazed hair. A moment ago she had been burning up, but now she was as cold as ice. Jack's heart skipped a beat, his eyes widening in terror. That was the first stage of a petrified dream. Your body temperature would drop dramatically. Second was shortness of breath and clamminess, and third was slowing of movements as they gradually became fossilized in fear. The petrified dream would last until the break of day, but the damage it would inflict lasts much longer than a night. It was scarring, especially for a such a small child. He wasn't loosing Sophie to one. Not if he had anything to say about it.

Sophie's breathing became labored and Jack began to panic. What would Nightlight do? What would Snow do? They would both probably just sing a lullaby. They were good at singing. But to Jack sing a lullaby? No way. He couldn't sing, he was nothing compared to either of them.

Sophie's eyes squinted in fear and she began to whimper and cry helplessly. She stopped kicking long enough for Jack to untangle her from her blankets. He then scooped her up and sat on her bed, cradling her crying figure in his arms. She was getting close to the third stage, the last one.

He courageously opened his mouth, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to sing. He sang every song that he had ever heard Snow sing in her time at the Pole when she didn't know he was listening. He sang Nightlight's lullaby. He sang random songs he had heard on the radio of passing cars, and he sang lullabies that he had heard mothers sing to their children on stormy nights.

He started out shaky and off key, but as the minutes passed he became more confident in his words and stronger with his notes. He sang and sang and sang, not even noticing that the small girl in his arms has stopped thrashing long ago. Sophie listened intently to Jack, her body relaxing and returning to normal temperature. Her breaths came out in cute little puffs of air, and her chest rose and fell rhythmically. Jack swayed back in forth in tune with his songs, lulling her into a deep, peaceful sleep.

After a moment Jack peeked his eyes open, grinning widely at Sophie's dreaming face. He sighed in relief, hugging her tight and trying to hold back tears of joy. That had been so close. If anything happened to Sophie, Snow's first believer and one of his firsts, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

He slowly stood and turned her around is his arms, mindful of her butterfly wings. He set her down gently on her bed, trying not to make this a repeat of the last time he tucked her in. He pulled a sheet over her and turned off the light. She stirred and reached out for him as he tucked her in, and he tried to move so she couldn't grab onto him. But Sophie's chubby fingers closed around his pinkie before he could move out of her way. He smiled, knowing that she didn't want him to leave.

He pulled the dreamsand pouch out of his pocket, struggling to open it with one hand. He poured the contents on top of her head, the golden sand blending in with her yellow hair and pouring down her pillow in rivers. The random grains pulled together as if they were magnetized, forming a beautiful golden dream above her head.

Jack hadn't ever seen a dream that was so detailed; it was breathtaking. All the details were in place; the stripes on Pippa's scarf, Monty's askew glasses, and Jamie's large hat pulled over his eyes. It was a picture off all the children building snowmen in Jamie's front yard, helping one another stack the large snowballs atop each other.

Suddenly a skinny boy ran across the scene with bare feet, making Jack chuckle with delight. It was him; a golden, miniature dreamsand form of him.

Mini Jack pelted everyone with snowballs, each one hitting a direct mark and leaving no survivors. The small golden Jack ran up to Jamie, who was on the ground rolling about in his large coat aimlessly, and placed his foot on his chest. He started shaking his staff in the air triumphantly, grinning wildly. Jack smirked; feeling like Sophie was dreaming him just right, from the facial expressions down to the body language. Jamie laughed and pushed Jack's foot off of him, standing with difficulty due to his large coat. The real Jack laughed as he watched the twins Claude and Caleb create small snowballs, trying to throw them at mini him for payback. But each one missed, making the real Jack beam with pride that he had won the snowball war-even though it was just a dream.

But then suddenly to Jack's surprise a dreamsand snowball came shooting across the still scene. It hit mini Jack directly in the back of the head, and he yelped in surprise. Mini Jack flew face forward and landed in a large, golden snow bank. Dreamsand grains flew all over as mini Jack sat up, looking around wildly for the person who had hit him as the children all laughed at his snow covered, bewildered face. The real Jack frowned, wondering whom Sophie had dreamed up that had such a good arm. It couldn't be just a kid, or any of the children around him.

Then she appeared.

It was Emma, and Jack's breath caught in his throat for a moment. Now, Sophie had been dreaming Jack pretty well, but compared to Snow he looked like a crayon drawing on Jamie's wall.

Everything was perfect, from the folds in her shirt to the small piece of hair that always managed to fall out of her messy bun by her ear. It was like a picture, with the curve of her cheekbones and the shape of her lips perfectly in place. It was a sight for sore eyes, and made Jack wish that he too could enter the dream and be with her and the children. He hadn't been able to dream about Snow since he had seen her with her yellow eyes, and it was like he couldn't remember what she had looked like at all before Pitch took her away. But Sophie hadn't seen Snow in her nightmarish state, leaving the memories she left behind perfectly innocent and intact.

Mini Snow floated gracefully onto the scene, random grains of dreamsand coming together to form her body. She was pointing and laughing at Jack, her eyes squinted and gleaming with mischief. She settled herself onto a snowman, her legs tucked under her as the children all gathered around in a happy mob, giving her high-fives and cheering. She smiled as she looked down at the children affectionately, and then gave Jack her signature smirk.

Then suddenly her eyes widened and she stood, leaping off the snowman and into the snow ungracefully then she started running in a dead sprint in the other direction. The real Jack looked up to see why, and saw that his miniature self had gotten up from the snow bank and was now chasing after her. He was obviously out for revenge judging by the grin on his face. She dashed across Sophie's room with Jack closing in from behind on foot as well. The children all followed far behind, not wanting to be left out of the action. The real Jack spun in a circle as they went around the room, not taking his eyes off of the group for a second. Long golden swirls came off the ground as they ran like they were flying. Their golden glow sent moving shadows across the walls, but Jack didn't notice. He was far to captivated by the dream. It was so lifelike; it looked just like a real video.

After a moment of running mini Jack caught her, wrapping his arms around her torso and lifting her into the air. She squirmed and laughed as Jack carried her back to the children, most likely to throw her into the snow bank that she had knocked him into. But the children all came to her aid, shouting battle cries and attacking Jack before he could reach the snow bank.

They toppled into the snow and Jack changed tactics by lunging onto her and pulling her down into the snow next to him. He then started to tickle her mercilessly, holding onto her thrashing body so she couldn't get away. After a moment she grabbed a handful of snow and shoved it up into his face in an effort to get away. The mini Jack fell back and let go, wiping snow off of his face with a surprised look, which slowly grew into a large grin. Snow took her chance and stood, running away from him as fast as she could.

Jack stood and tried to follow her, but the children stopped him before he could even reach his feet. Cupcake lunged onto him and the rest of the kids joined in, burying him under a bundle of winter coats and small bodies. They all laughed as Jack thrashed around, stuck under all the weight of the half dozen children. Snow ran, trying to find a place to hide. After a moment she decided on hiding behind one of the children's snowmen, but she couldn't keep from peeking. Jack smiled as he watched all the children squash the miniature version him, Jamie standing atop the pile triumphantly.

But after a moment, he realized something. This really happened, it was a play-by-play of one of their last visits to Burgess. Not just something that Sophie had imagined. But it didn't make any sense.

Sophie wasn't even out there with them. She rarely ever was. But if she was having this dream, then how could she dream it with such detail? And how could she know that all of this happened?

Then it hit Jack. Sophie must watch them play from her window, because wasn't allowed outside very much. That was why her dream was in such detail, because she would observe them while they played every day. She had memorized the details in everyone's faces, and you could tell that she paid the most attention to Snow. Her miniature dreamsand self was flawless. Jack hadn't been able to dream or even think of Snow lately. Every time he tried to think or dream of her, he could see nothing but her golden eyes glowing against a sea of inky black. But Sophie's memories of her old friend remained pure and solid, only faintly dulled by the small amount of time that had passed.

Jack ran his fingers through Sophie's messy blonde hair absentmindedly as he stared intently at the dream, his eyes misting over at the girl's sleeping wish. She missed Snow almost as much as he did. The dream seemed so perfect, so wonderful just like it had been over a week ago. It was so much better than the world around them now, filled with no fun at all. Just worries, fear, work to be done, and tragic prophecies that loomed in the distance. If only things could be like this again, playing in the snow all together, just for a moment. Jack would give anything for this fantasy to become reality.

And although Jack didn't notice it, slowly he sub-consciously submitted himself to the dream. He sat memorized for what seemed like hours, letting all of the fears and worries of the world that had been placed upon his shoulders fall to the ground. He slowly let the fantasy take him over, and for a moment it almost felt like he himself was in this dream. And for a moment, nothing mattered but staying there with the perfect golden scene above him. He forgot about Nightlight who was waiting for him somewhere. He forgot about the raging snowstorm outside. He forgot about the hundreds of children around the world that needed their help. He lost himself, unaware of the world around him.

He didn't even see Sophie's closet creek slowly open.

Jack hopefully reached up and tried to touch the dream, but the sand disintegrated at his touch. He drew his hand back like he had been burned, his eyes wide in horror. He leaned in closer as the picture resumed, now a different scene. It was Snow and Sophie sledding down a hill, Jack not too far ahead icing the track for them. The room was silent, nothing but the golden glow of the dreamsand and the darkness around them. But the darkness was soon met with another source of golden light.

A pair of bright yellow eyes loomed in the closet, slowly moving to Jack's unaware figure. They narrowed in anger, and a white snarl joined the golden orbs. After a long moment of stillness the evil snarl and glowing eyes were met with a voice, just as sinister as the dark of the closet itself. This voice was filled with mockery, annoyance, and sheer hatred. It changed the very atmosphere of the room, making each shadow darker and making Jack's soul heavy with dread.

"Its no good to dwell on dreams, Jack."

These 8 words tore Jack from his happy state of blissful unawareness and sent his emotions skyrocketing. His heart pumped in fear as he rose to his feet, turning slowly on the spot. He was met with a pair of vicious golden eyes that he knew all to well.

"Frost." Pitch said spitefully, nothing but his eyes and mouth visible in the darkness.

"Pitch." Jack replied calmly, trying to hide his fear. He was venerable, and he was weak. It was what everyone had feared, the reason that Sandy had told them not to split up. He was now at Pitch's mercy, and he had a feeling he wouldn't be sparred.

"You know, your starting to annoy me Frost." Pitch said viciously.

Jack weighed his options in a fight and decided victory was slim to none. His best bet was to keep Pitch talking until someone realized he needed help. He had been gone a long time. Or had he? It seemed like he had just woken up from a long dream. But that was impossible; he had been awake all this time. How long had he been watching Sophie's dream?

"Yeah?" Jack said. "I live to put hiccups in your plans, Pitch."

Pitch snarled and made a low growling noise in the back of his throat.

"You have escaped my grasp many times, Frost. I'll give you that." He stopped, and a grin grew on his face. "But there will come a day when all of my efforts will pay off. And that day is approaching faster than anyone dares to suspect. And on that day, not even you will be able to escape my grasp."

Jack tried to chuckle, but it was forced. "You can't keep a good man down, Pitch."

Pitch's eyes narrowed and he smiled. "Well, you probably thought that about a certain girl once too. It just takes time. I can always manage to poison dreams, and crush any human spirit."

Jack gripped his staff, his mind spinning in furious anger. But Pitch continued on.

"They say that the power of the soul is the strongest thing in the world. But Snow's spirit was extremely easy to break. Ha! And they say the willpower of a the human spirit can withstand anything in the world, that it is the most powerful thing in existence."

Jack advanced forward, the blood pumping in his ears. All that he was thinking about was his staff making contact with Pitch's face. And all he could see was red.

"But," He said sneeringly, "There is nothing… that's more powerful… than fear."

Pitch backed up and his golden eyes disappeared into the darkness of Sophie's closet, followed by his grinning white teeth.

Jack let out a furious yell, his mind going into overdrive. He lunged forward and swung his staff in a wide arc very ungracefully, trying to hit Pitch before he disappeared into the darkness. But where his staff was supposed to make contact with Pitch's body there was nothing but a wide void of air. He overstepped and stumbled into Sophie's dark closet. He wrapped his arms around his face, preparing for a sudden and personal introduction with Sophie's wardrobe. But it never came.

Jack slowed to a stop and turned around, confused at where all this extra space had come from. He saw a large opening in front of him with moonlight pouring out the closet sized hole. Pitch's black silhouette materialized, standing out greatly against the silvery background of Sophie's room. It was a trap, and Jack had swallowed the bait; hook, string, worm and all.

"Fool you once, shame on me. Fool you twice," Pitch laughed, "Shame on you."

Jack rushed forward, but Pitch pushed his hands out to either side of him with great force and black sand started to form in front of his only hope of escape. It seeped in the sides of the opening and made a solid wall, blocking out all light and sealing Jack in total darkness.

Jack yelled out in fury and pounded his fists on the sandy wall, frost bursting from his fingers and covering the black sand completely. But it was no use. He was trapped, and by the sound of Pitch's evil laughter, he knew it as well.

Jack screamed, "Pitch! Pitch let me out you coward and fight me like a man!"

Pitch stopped laughing and yelled, "I'm sorry Jack, but I don't have the time. I do fear I have an old friend in the neighborhood I haven't seen in a while, and I do think I shall go and pay him a nice little personal visit. He isn't feeling too well tonight, I'll tell him that you send your deepest regards."

Jack's eyes widened and his stomach turned with dread and fear. He stepped back from the wall feeling like he was about to throw up, his worst fears confirmed. The darkness around him seemed to swallow him up in an unforgiving embrace. His knees shook as his insides were ripped apart by his own guilt, his lips forming one desperate word.

"Nightlight."


	29. Darkness: Chapter 29

~Darkness~

It was dark.

Over the years Jack had come to know darkness on a level that no one else could ever possibly know. He knew that the world was not merely made of light and darkness, but of great light and deep darkness. He had been in deep darkness for what seemed like years, aimlessly floating in the depths of his frozen lake. He gave his soul to the blackness, knowing that he would never see the light ever again. He gave up, and Pitch claimed his soul for total, deep darkness. It was how everyone died, and how people always would. Jack didn't know how he knew that, he just always had. Down in that lake he was afraid, and it was dark, and it had been cold. But he hadn't been alone.

He had also experienced great light. The Man in the Moon had shone down and saved him from the darkness's hold over 300 years ago, engulfing him in his warm glow.

Nobody knew darkness and light like Jack did.

And this wasn't normal darkness.

It was deep darkness.

Jack groaned and sank to his knees in defeat, his body aching from lack of sleep and his efforts to escape. But he couldn't sleep, not now. If he fell asleep he knew he might never wake up. And he didn't have the time to sleep. Nightlight needed him now.

He held his glowing staff in his mauled hands, practically sandpapered from punching and banging on the nightmare sand wall that connected to the back of Sophie's closet. But it was sealed shut, and he had come to accept the fact he would never get out. Not that way, anyway.

He cradled his head in his hands, trying to block out the blackness around him. The everlasting darkness and endless silence around was numbing his senses. Jack hadn't ever really thought about it, but now that he was here in this dark cavern all alone he realized something.

He was terrified of the dark.

The emptiness around him seemed to swallow him up like a grain of sand in the sea, just like how he had felt in that lake so many years. Jack was where the sun never shown, fun was never held, and dreams where torn into broken, forgotten fragments.

He was lost in the lair of the legendary Boogeyman.

Everyone knew that Pitch's lair was connected in every room of every child in the world. He had passages that lead under beds, inside closets, maybe even in graveyards. The tunnels stretched for miles, a labyrinth of absolute darkness that only the Boogeyman himself could ever maneuver through. Jack sat with his back to the wall of Sophie's closet staring off into the abyss before him. The darkness made it seem like nothing was ahead of him, just a large black wall that incased him in. He knew better though. Down that hall was a tunnel that could lead him out of this dark place, to Nightlight.

He was free as a bird in a way. There was nothing keeping him from going forward. But there was one thing that kept him chained where he sat, not permitting him to go any farther.

Fear.

Jack had no idea where he was. But he wasn't safe. Ahead of him lay freedom and safety if he was brave enough to venture out to it. But he was fearful of how far he would have to go to reach that safety, and if he could reach it at all. It required him putting his foot forward and stepping blindly into the darkness, unknowing what could possibly lie ahead. So Jack sat.

And sat.

And sat.

He concentrated on his breathing, trying to take his mind off of his ominous surroundings. He thought about standing up and walking forward deeper into the darkness, although he never really had the courage to take those first steps. He thought about his favorite book, 'Peter Pan' and recited as much as he possibly could. He tried to recite every story Katherine had told him over the past few days. Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack be Nimble Jack be Quick, Jack and Jill, and Little Jack Horner (There were a lot of Jacks in olden literature).He also thought about Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and one of his favorites, Rumpelstiltskin.

Katherine had told him many stories in her nights at the North Pole. Every time she would finish a story Jack would make her start a new one, so they had gone through dozens. She would recite stories, poems, and riddles until she was unable to keep her eyes open from exhaustion. Then Jack would watch over her until he himself fell asleep. Since Nightlight himself couldn't be there to watch over her while she slept, he had made Jack promise he would do it in his place. Or at least not fall asleep until she did.

Jack sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He was internally being ripped apart. He knew that he was Nightlight's only hope. They still had at least half of an hour left on patrol, no one would think to come and look for them. Nightlight was in danger if he was acting anything like he had been earlier that night: distracted, dreamy, and unaware of his surroundings.

Sandy, Katherine, Cupid, and April were sure to have moved to a different town by now. How long had he been in there? With all the darkness it made him feel like he was frozen in time, and the world was completely still around him. Did time pass in these tunnels? It would make sense if it didn't, then Pitch could basically be everywhere at once. He and his Fearlings could torment children all around the world in the blink of an eye.

Jack stared at the empty abyss in front of him. His staff's soft blue glow illuminated the floor around him for a few feet, and then the inky blackness surround him like a circular wall of black. He could be standing on a small ledge, and if he stepped he could fall to his death. There was no wind to carry him in here, and if he did tumble blindly off a cliff he would surely die. The fear inside him was like the darkness of the cavern, slowly suffocating him in a inky black sea that made his thinking hazy. His imagination was going wild, and he swore that he could see golden eyes peering though the darkness and breathy whispers all around him. He knew that these images and sounds were just tricks of the mind, lies forged from fear.

"Lies," Jack said to himself. "Nothing but lies."

That was what the darkness was, nothing but lies. But the lies were prodding and poking mercilessly at Jack's mind over and over again, despite his struggles. And after a while longer, he started to believe them. The dark not only shielded the light of day, but also all that was true in the world. Jack suddenly believed that it was all his fault that Nightlight was in danger, and that Snow was never his real friend. That all of his friends were happy he was gone and he was out of their hair. And that he was going to die alone and unable to reach out to anyone, completely alone and isolated from the rest of the world.

Jack closed his eyes in a last effort to have a small feeling of control over the darkness. He cradled his staff in his hands, trying to hold tight to what he knew was real. All he wanted was to get up and leave, but his fear had chained him to his spot. He wanted to go and find Nightlight and apologize for everything, and promise not to do anything stupid ever again (Even though he probably would). He wanted to venture out into these tunnels and find Snow, wherever she may be hidden. His heart yearned for something, anything: a touch, a sound, something that was real. Here in the darkness there was nothing but lies and gloom, and he wanted something bright and true.

Jack stuck one of his cold hands in his sweatshirt pocket, sighing in dismay. To think he had been in this same position not more than a week ago. He had once again broken the rules, fallen for Pitch's lies, and had ended up trapped alone. This was the third time now. First was in the great battle about two years ago when Pitch had broken his staff and he had been trapped in that crevice. Second was last week when Snow encaged him inside her ice formation. And yet he had fallen for Pitch's trap again tonight.

"Fool me once, shame on you." Jack said. "Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times…" Jack chuckled, "Well then, shame on the both of us."

He leaned back and let the reality that he was about to die sink in. He had held out a little longer this time, maybe because he had been saved twice before. But he didn't have a box of teeth this time, or a lucky Baby Tooth to break him out. All he had was the darkness, and his staff. He pulled his last possession close to him and closed his eyes, running his fingers over the wood. But then to his surprise his fingers touched something softer than the coarse wood, something like fabric.

He opened his eyes and looked closely at his staff, noticing something he had forgotten about long ago. The scarf that Monty had wanted to give to Tooth was sill tied tightly to the end of his staff, its purplish hue shimmering beautifully in the dim glow of his staff.

He felt torn apart as he ran his fingers over the scarf. It made his feel guilty that he would never get to give it to Tooth. It would have matched so well with her purple feathers, and really would have made her happy to know that one of the children had thought of her. She would have loved to have the flower he had gotten her as well. And she would have wanted the Monty's tooth most of all, he had taken wonderful care of it.

Jack's eyes widened in realization. "The tooth!" He yelled, digging through his pocket. He pulled out a small wilted flower and a small pebble like object, smaller than a grape. He brought it up to his eyes and nearly sobbed in relief and sadness. It was Monty's tooth, still as perfect as he had found it. It was a miracle that it hadn't fallen out of his pocket during his flight.

He held it in his hands and a sudden feeling of warmth came over him. He closed his eyes and sighed in relief. The darkness around him held nothing but lies, but engraved in this tooth were memories, the truest things in the world. He knew they wouldn't be able to get him out, but it was good to have something that was real in this deep cavern. His eyes began to mist over and he smiled. Pitch could take away the sun, but he couldn't take away one thing, the purest thing in the world:

Childhood memories.

He opened his eyes again and gazed at the small, shiny tooth. He wrapped his fingers around it and brought it to his chest, closing his eyes again. He felt safer all of a sudden, even though the tooth was such a small thing. It made everything seem brighter and less fearsome.

After a moment Jack opened his eyes, but then closed them tightly again. It was suddenly really bright.

Jack sat up quickly, snapping his eyes open. It was bright! He opened up his hands and saw that the small white tooth was still sitting in his palm as before, but different somehow. He realized it was glowing bright silver and illuminating the cavern around him. It was like a light bulb or a moonbeam in the middle of his hand.

The truth and memories emitting from the tooth banished the darkness away, driving away all the fear and lies. Jack stared as the tooth became a miniature lantern, illuminating the pathway ahead. He stood up shakily staring off into the darkness of the pathway. He should have been afraid of what horrors awaited him, but his childish excitement overruled his fear.

He broke into a dead sprint down the cavern, laughing to himself. He had escaped Pitch's hold again, three times running. But as his footsteps echoed through the millions of different tunnels that surrounded him, he began to question how long it would take him until he could get out. Well, if he got out at all. And he couldn't help but worry about his friend.

"Don't worry Nightlight," Jack said through heavy pants.

"I'm coming."


	30. Painted Secrets: Chapter 30

~Painted Secrets~

Jack ran through the endless hallways, his footsteps echoing in an eerie chorus as he tore down the passages at high speed. He jumped over cracks in the old ground with ease, only slowing down to turn corners. He didn't know where he was going; the light emitting from Monty's tooth only illuminated about 10 feet in front of him. The stone walls around him glinted in the light like they were slick with dew or water droplets. The rest was a mysterious sea of black.

The pathway went straight for what seemed like miles with only minor turns and corners along the way. Jack put everything he had into a furious sprint, trusting in the tooth's light to guide him. But after what seemed like hours of running Jack became quite tired. It seemed like he was just going deeper into the darkness, getting nowhere and just getting even more lost then he already was. What would happen if the tooth's light went out, and left him deeper inside the lair then he had started with?

He slowed his pace to from a quick sprint to a sluggish jog, which quickly turned into a slow walk. He held the tooth out in front of him like it was a candle or lantern, squinting to see if there was anything ahead. But the tunnels stretched on and on and Jack wondered if he was just trapped in an endless loop, running in circles.

As he continued the spider webs that had been quite sparse began to thicken around the floor and ceiling. He knew that he must be somewhere neither Pitch nor NightMare had been in a very long time. It seemed like a forgotten passageway. He walked and walked, and suddenly the appearance of the hallway changed dramatically. It took Jack a moment to adjust to his surroundings and process what he was seeing. The walls were no longer stone marble, but to his horror stacks of human bones. They were arranged carefully and reached all the way to the ceiling, skulls peeking out at random places. The skull's vacant eye sockets seemed to watch him as he walked down the hall

"That's not creepy…" Jack said, stepping around some discarded bones on the floor that had fallen out of place. Whose bones were these? There must be thousands of remains down here, probably a mass grave of some sort. But were they real, or some fearful allusion? It seemed strange that Pitch would have bones like these in his lair; he didn't (or couldn't) kill living people. For all Jack knew Pitch couldn't even touch anyone as long as they didn't believe in him.

Jack waked on and to his relief the bones disappeared, the walls turning into rough stone and the ceiling heightening to a magnificent height. He could tell he was going farther down into the ground by the slant in the ground. He dragged his staff on the floor and looked ahead, squinting for any sign of way out. It looked like a door was up ahead, and his heart filled with hope. But as he got closer he saw it wasn't a door or entryway, or anything that showed sign that he was going the right direction to get out.

The tunnel split into two different passages, a Y shape. Two arches were suspended above them, much higher than his head. He stood in front of them and stared down each tunnel, inspecting them carefully. But they were identical. He had no idea how long the passages were, it was just black. And the arches above them were the exact same as well, the same cobwebs draping down. They both looked unused.

Jack rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He had no idea what path to choose and he couldn't just sit around and debate about it. He had wasted enough time running around. Nightlight needed him as soon as possible.

He shifted from foot to foot and tried to decide what path to take. He muttered, "Enie, Meanie, Minie, Moe, catch a tiger by the toe. If it hollers let it go. Enie meanie minie moe…" He pointed the tooth back and forth from the two tunnels with each word. "My, mom, says, to, pick, the, very, best, one, and, you, are, not, it!"

On the last word he pointed the shining tooth down the right passageway, smiling triumphantly. He began to walk down it when something unexpected happened that made him stop in his tracks. A small breeze came drifting from down the other passage on the left. It stirred the cobwebs and Jack knew that it wasn't an allusion forged by the darkness. He stuck his head out of the right passage and into the left, looking around for the source of the wind. Another breeze came through and washed over his face, ruffling his hair. He backed up and started walking down the left tunnel. If there was wind that meant that this tunnel could possibly lead him outside.

As he walked the tooth seemed to get brighter, blinding him with light. He squinted and buried it in his hands, only letting some of the rays slip between his fingers. But what he saw when he put it away shocked him so bad he nearly dropped it.

The tunnel opened up into a large cavern like the inside of a huge cathedral. The cavern was as tall as a football field. Jack suspected it was higher but the tooth only shined that high making it seem like the room had no ceiling at all. The ground was covered in large rocks and stalagmites. Stalactites dropped down from the dark ceiling, casting eerie shadows all around. But the room seemed to be glowing with a pale light, letting Jack see more than the small tooth he had in his possession would let him. He saw no signs of an exit from where he was standing and decided to find where the light was coming from.

His footsteps echoed on the floor, which was a deep black marble. The cavern wasn't a cave like he had thought at all; it seemed more like an old abandoned room. It could possibly be the ruins of a royal hall, or even an ancient ballroom. He could see some furniture lying around that was coated with thick layers of dust and spider webs. At the back of the room a stained glass window seemed to be the main attraction of the hall. But most of what Jack assumed to be a beautiful window was shattered. Beyond the window sat no kind of light to the outside world, just inky darkness. Colorful pieces of glass covered the ground like shattered memories, making Jack wonder what events had come to pass in this abandoned room. He could almost hear ghostlike laughter and music playing around him and feel the air around him spin and twirl like dancing spirits. Jack tried to summon the wind to pick him up so he wouldn't need to step around the sharp glass.

A weak breeze rose up and picked him from the floor and over the glass shards. He urged it to carry him farther so he could get a good look at the room. He held the tooth high in the air, waving it about like a flashlight. He made his way to the wall that sat adjacent to the glass window remains. The tooth seemed to grow brighter still as he neared the wall. He squinted up at it, trying to see what the tooth was reacting to. What he saw made drop his grip on the wind in surprise, making him yelp and fall to the floor in a large heap. He stood and brushed himself off, staring openly at the wall with his mouth agape.

The wall above him was a beautiful painted mural, although peeling and faded with age. He ran his fingers on the surface and the paint fell apart and crumbled under his touch. The colors and style of the painting reminded him of the mural at Tooth's palace, but on a much larger scale. A large circle sat high above, a small one below, and a medium one in the middle. He was so close to it he couldn't make out what pictures were inside of the circles. Jack recovered from his shock and backed up so he could see the whole picture and clear up his confusion. But what he saw startled him and left his mind swimming with more questions then it had answered. His staff and the tooth slipped out of his hands, falling to the floor in a loud clamor.

He looked up and saw the outline of a face he knew too well, Pitch's. His sharp cheekbones and scowl were aimed down at a large circle below him, the medium sized one. Inside the circle stood two individuals, but Jack couldn't recognize them in the darkness. Above Pitch stood a large yellow circle with lines coming out of it, like the sun. The circle below Pitch that contained the figures had a strange background. It looked like the spots of a cow. But after a moment Jack realized embarrassedly that it was the Earth. The blues and greens barely peeked out of the dirt and dust. Jack could make out some faint moon letters surrounding the circle but he doubted that even someone who could read moon code could read them.

Below the globe sat a faded silvery circle that was much smaller than the one above it, appearing to be the moon. It was circled in blackness that the Earth above it sent down, encased in its shadow. Jack knew that that actually happened sometimes, the earth would block out the sun completely and the moon would be unseen. He had no idea what that was called when the moon was concealed like this, although he knew there was a scientific term. Katherine would surely know. He had to bring her here. Knowing what is on this wall could be a serious advantage, and Jack could tell that the moon letters held something important.

He grabbed his staff and the tooth and willed the wind to pick him up so he could see the people that were painted inside of the circle. Surely it would be Snow and someone else, but he dreaded the possibility of who it could be along side her. Their faces came into view as Jack ascended and his eyes widened, his stomach turning in knots.

They stood side-by-side, faces blank and vacant and they were painted from the waist up. They were very familiar faces, but they didn't comfort Jack in the slightest. They were now evilly altered and barely recognizable. Jack's heart sank to his feet and he knees started to shake as he recognized whom he was on his way to rescue.

First, to Jack's surprise and horror, was Nightlight. He was on the far left, his youthful and childish face reformed in the worse way. His pale green eyes were now a dark gold and gleamed in the light of Monty's tooth. He seemed to glare at Jack with a look of pure loathing. The armor he was wearing wasn't bright white. It was an inky black, and he wasn't glowing like he normally did. He looked tired, his eyes circled in black and his posture slouched. He had a crazy look in his eyes that wasn't his, like someone else was behind his green orbs. It wasn't the Nightlight that blushed when Katherine hugged him, or lost races with shameless pride, or knew each child's dream and fear. And right then Jack knew-

Nightlight was going to fall, just like Snow had fallen, to Pitch.

It was imprinted on this wall, and Jack felt like he couldn't possibly escape this horrific death sentence like Snow hadn't been able to escape her destiny to be maddened and overcome by Pitch. Jack had a strong reassurance that this mural told the truth, because the tooth had tried to lead him to it. And the picture standing next to Nightlight didn't help either.

Second, and in the middle, was Snow. Her hair swirled about her face like she was in the midst of casting a spell. She looked uneasy and not as confident as she normally was, her eyes filled with a deep sadness as well as confusion. She was wearing a long black dress with long sleeves. The necklace around her neck glowed an unnatural white and sent shadows dancing across her face. But after a moment Jack realized with a start it wasn't her necklace that was the bright white that caught his eye. Her hair was no longer raven black, but a shocking silvery white. It was the same shade of Nightlight's hair and his own. But it was crisper, harsher. Not like the soft glow of a moonbeam or a freshly fallen snow. Jack puzzled for a moment. Snow didn't have white hair; that was the thing that made her different from the other winter guardians. Jack didn't know why, but he didn't mind. It comforted him a little to know that the person who had painted this painting was inaccurate even in the slightest.

Jack noted that Snow stood dead center on the globe, Nightlight on her right. But that left a huge and empty space next to her on the left side, leaving Jack to wonder who was supposed to be standing next to her.

Then suddenly Jack noticed something; the swirls that formed the inky waters of the painted earth formed a picture that Jack hadn't noticed before. It was one of those pictures where you would have to stare at it until the picture would come out. Jack stepped back as the swirls all came together to form one more person that filled the empty space, turning the duo into a trio. Jack's head spun in terror as the familiar face came into focus, the spiky hair and bulbous, stout figure. He was a faded and chipped but unmistakable.

Sandy.

Jack could help but exclaim in surprise, slapping his hand over his mouth. He knew what message this picture was trying to say.

This painting clearly stated that Sandy would disappear once again as he did 2 years ago. In this picture he really isn't even really there, he was hidden in the shadows, sending the message clear. It was what Sandy feared most, being taken over again and disappearing like he once had. And without Sandy, and without Nightlight, who would keep the children safe from the nightmares? Who would spread dreams? What could they do to stop Pitch? For all he knew Nightlight and Sandy could already be under attack by Pitch as he filled out the prophecy that this painting held. Nightlight would be gone by the time Jack got back to Burgess, he was sure of it. He was going to loose another friend, and then Sandy as well. His heart dropped and he felt like throwing up, doubling over in pain. Then his head shot up in realization.

"No." He said as he willed the wind to bring him closer to the painting. He was weary and tired, but his determination gave him more energy. "I'm not losing another friend. I'm not going to let this happen."

He was so close to the painting he could have reached out and touched Nightlight's golden eyes, which were as tall as he was. But something else caught his attention and made him look away from the portrait. It was a small noise, barely even audible to Jack's ears. But the echoing of the cavern carried on the small sound and bounced off the walls in all directions. It was like the tick tock of a clock, only softer and out of rhythm.

Footsteps.

Jack whirled around as he eyes searched feverishly for the person who was emitting them. He drifted down to the ground and hid behind a large stalactite, fearful that his light would draw the attention of the person. Was it Pitch? Had he returned to make sure that he had not slipped away? Or had he already come back from attacking the crew that protected Sandy, as well as Sandy and Nightlight?

He couldn't be caught. Not now, when he had come so far. If he was caught now then this paintings secrets would never leave this cavern He had to find where that light was coming from, the light that lit the cave by itself. It would surely lead him out, but how could he find it when he couldn't distinct the exit's light from the tooth's? Surely he would have to get rid of his light somehow. But he didn't want to be in the darkness again. But he would rather be in the darkness then be found in the light.

He took the tooth and shoved it into his sweatshirt pocket. The glow couldn't escape the thick fabric, sending Jack into deep darkness. He leaned up against the stalactite and tried to calm his breathing to a level so he wouldn't be heard. The footsteps got closer and closer and Jack scanned the area feverishly for the natural light that lead out.

About 100 feet away sat a small crack in the ceiling, barely even noticeable in the light. But now that it was dark Jack could see that it was glowing ever so faintly, the only light for miles. He would have to make a break for it, or else he wouldn't ever get out.

Suddenly the footsteps stopped and Jack was sure that if the person didn't hear his breathing then they would hear his crazed heartbeat. He noticed that there was a small light emitting from behind him, growing brighter by the moment. Pitch couldn't make light in the darkness, could he?

Jack's curiosity got the better of him and he ran his hands over the stone as he tried to find the corner. He peeked around with the most caution he could muster and gazed into a bright light that sat about 25 feet away. His eyes adjusted to the light and he saw it was not the Boogeyman at all. It was Snow.

She was gazing up at the mural with an expression of wonder, her lips parted in awe. She wore a long dress of white, the ends tainted black from walking about in the black, sandy tunnels. Her feet were bare and her hair was down. She appeared to be holding a lantern in her hand, outstretched to the mural as she gazed up thoughtfully. But after a moment Jack realized it was her necklace acting as a lantern, glowing brilliantly. Her golden eyes were wide as she looked at herself, painted on the wall. Pitch must keep her down here so she will be safer. She looked as harmless as a kitten, but Jack knew better. She ran her hands against the wall shining her light on three notches in the stone. It looked like each was supposed to hold something, but what, Jack had no idea.

She brought the necklace closer to her extremely pale face and worn face and Jack saw something he hadn't before. Her hair wasn't as dark as it used to be. It looked grey. So grey it was almost…white.

Jack almost exclaimed aloud, making a strange gagging sound in his efforts not to be heard. The one fault in the painting was her hair color, but now it was turning white.

That frightened Jack more than the fact that Snow was so close to him that she could hear his breathing if he dared to breathe loud enough. That painting had been more accurate than Jack's memories of her, she had changed dramatically under Pitch's influence. If this painting could really tell the future, then Nightlight and Sandy were in sheer danger. He hadn't wanted to accept it, but the evidence was standing right in front of him. He had to go now, but that would risk being seen and attacked by Snow. But he didn't really have a choice.

He tore his eyes from her figure and towards the small crack in the ceiling that was his, Sandy's, and Nightlight's only hope. He took a deep breath and summoned as much wind as he could to him. He bent his legs and then extended, shooting into the air like a rocket. He could hear a muffled call of surprise from behind him, but didn't turn to see if Snow was following him. He had to get out. He had a feeling that she wouldn't want to leave the cave without Pitch's consent, and therefore if he just could get out of the cavern he would be free.

He neared the crack in the wall like a bullet. He pulled his staff close to his chest and shot through vertically, narrowly missing the edges. But to his surprise it didn't lead out immediately; rough stone ran for many meters straight up before melting into a beautiful blue sky.

He started to climb as fast as he could, fearful that Snow had seen it was him and was following close after. He glanced over his shadow quickly and got a small glimpse of a pair of golden eyes narrowed in the darkness. But why, he couldn't tell. Confusion, fear, and anger seemed to burn brightly all at the same time. But he didn't stop to decide; he continued his feverish scramble to the top. He gripped onto handholds and fit his bare feet into footholds, his pants and hoodie catching onto the rock and ripping slightly. After a few more seconds his head popped out of the hole, the cold wind washing over his face.

Jack breathed in the air, treasuring the crisp cleanness of it that didn't stretch down into the dark tunnels.

"Take me home!" Jack yelled. He was then swept clean off of his feet and into the air, the wind sensing his urgency and responding with a sudden and rough takeoff into the beautiful skies. But all he could see where Snow's golden eyes, peering out of the darkness.

And he feared that if he wasn't fast enough, Nightlight would look the same.


	31. Nightlight's Stand: Chapter 31

~Nightlight's stand~

Burgess was a mess.

As Jack jumped from rooftop to rooftop a huge swirling mass came into view, NightMares, nightmare sand, dreamsand, and lightning clashed against one another causing a tremendous amount of noise. Sandy sat hundreds of feet up in the air with April, Katherine, and Cupid by his side. Nightmares by the hundreds swirled around them, lashing out randomly and attacking them when they least expected it. Jack had never seen any of these girls in battle before and needless to say he was impressed. Cupid was pulling arrow after arrow out of her quiver and loaded them into her bow with a skillful hand, each arrow hitting directly center in a Nightmare's chest. April's hair was now an inky black, cracking with bright flashes of lightening. She was sending short blasts of light at the Fearlings and Nightmares and they would explode on contact, thunder clapping across the sky.

Katherine stood next to Sandy with her sword drawn, stabbing and slashing at the Nightmares that escaped Cupid and April's watchful eyes. Her stormy orbs were filled with fire; her battle cries mixing with the neighs of the NightMares. Sandy had a look of rage on his face as he sent his dreamsand whips into the fray, black sand melting into gold. But with each NightMare that was destroyed a new one would take its place. It made Jack wonder how many dreams Pitch must have had to corroded to be able to have such a multitude of NightMares. They were fighting so hard, but Jack knew that it was a losing battle. Like grains in an hourglass, they were running out of time.

Jack struggled to fly through the chaotic mess, dodging random Nightmares as he struggled to find the one person that was missing. Nightlight's glow was nowhere to be found, and Jack had to find him. Sandy had three people to protect him, but Nightlight had none.

"Nightlight!" Jack screamed through the fray. "Where are you?"

Jack blasted a Nightmare in the chest as he dodged to the left. But he didn't see a particularly quiet NightMare come at him from behind, and before he knew it he was plummeting to the ground in a wild decent. He yelled out as he realized that he didn't have his staff in his hands, the NightMare's blast ripping it from his hands.

"Really? Seriously?" Jack screamed as he madly tried to grab his staff, which was falling directly above him. He could feel that he was nearing the ground quickly and there was nothing to break his fall. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a rooftop directly below him and approaching quickly. He closed his eyes tight and braced himself for a hard slap on the roof's chimney. But instead he felt a pair of arms grab onto him and pull him into a tight embrace, slowing his decent and bringing him back into the air.

Jack peeked his eyes open and was met with a bright pair of emerald green eyes, squinting in delight. Not cold golden ones, but bright and happy pale green eyes. Nightlight had come to Jack's rescue instead of Jack rescuing him, a complete roll reversal.

Nightlight grinned, his face covered in scrapes and minor cuts. His expression was one of happiness and confusion, his face reading 'Where've you been?'

"Nightlight!" Jack yelled in relief, laughing hysterically. "You're okay!"

Nightlight's face furrowed in confusion as if to ask, 'Why wouldn't I be okay?'

"I need to fill you in on some stuff," Jack said quickly. "But it can wait."

Nightlight grinned and Jack summoned a wind to pick him up, taking his staff from Nightlight's hands. They soared together back to Sandy, blasting a path through the NightMares.

"Jack!" Cupid yelled in her thick French accent as soon as she saw him. "Where'd you go?"

"Tell you later!" Jack yelled back in a loud grunt as he pried a NightMare's teeth off his shirt.

The group rejoiced as they saw that Jack was back. It brought a smile to Sandy's face as well as the rest of them. Their efforts doubled as the new happiness of their returned team member refreshed their determination. Jack landed on the large sand cloud that was holding Katherine and Sandy, helping fight off the attack aimed mainly at the Sandman. Nightlight landed next to him and they stood back-to-back and blasted with their staffs in unison.

Katherine slashed her sword around violently as she reprimanded Jack for leaving. "Jack! Where have you been? I cannot believe that you and Nightlight split up! This isn't a game, Jack! You cant just go off whenever you feel like it!"

Jack tried to explain himself but to no avail, she continued to criticize on. "Quack, quack, quack…." Jack grumbled.

Nightlight laughed as he walked away from the two, covering up a spot on the cloud that was being left open and venerable. Jack moved closer to Katherine, who had stopped her furious ramble and turned her attention back to the fight, still muttering under her breath.

"Katherine," Jack said seriously. "Stop squawking for two seconds!"

She froze and turned to him, her eyes furrowed in a look of fury. "What?" She said.

"I didn't just wander off, Goose Girl. I was in Pitch's lair." Jack said quickly before she could say more.

"What did you see?" Katherine said, fear and excitement in her voice. She was smart. She knew that if Jack really had come in and out of Pitch's lair he would have learned a secret or two that could really benefit them.

"It's a long story," Jack said as he let out a battle cry and slashed a stray Nightmare in the chest.

"But there is something I need to tell you now," He said, turning his attention away from the fight for a moment. "Sandy and Nightlight- They're in danger. There was this picture, a painting, down there…and it was of them, Emma, and Pitch. It looked so real, but all of them were evil- It was messed up, Goose Girl."

Katherine froze and stared blankly at Jack, her mind going a million miles an hour as she tried to process the information. "Is that all?" She said.

"No. I'm going to have to fill you in later." Jack said.

"Alright," She said. "We need to keep them safe until we reach the pole. You protect Nightlight- I've got Sandy."

Sandy turned to them and smiled, completely unknowledgeable of what they were talking about.

"Got it." Jack said absentmindedly as he blasted half a dozen Nightmares away. He was about to turn and check on Nightlight when a huge blast shook the dreamsand cloud. Jack watched in horror as the dreamsand cloud began to dissolve under his feet. Katherine yelped and retreated closer to Sandy. Jack jumped off the cloud and saw that Nightlight had done the same. Sandy managed to keep the cloud intact, although it was much smaller now. It was now about the size of a small bed. Katherine moved behind Sandy (because the sand cloud was too small to stand anywhere else) and watched his back, knowing that was where he was shot the last time he was attacked.

"Jack!" Katherine called to Jack after minutes of useless fighting.

Jack flew to her, hovering in the air. "What?" He said.

"We need to get back to the Pole, now," She said, her gray eyes burning in urgency. "You and Nightlight go ahead and try to blast a path out of here, we will follow you. It's our only chance. We can't stay here and fight, we need backup."

"Carve a path ahead; got it." Jack said as he took off to Nightlight. He told Nightlight the plan and the two of them began to work their way Northward as a team. They blasted and tore apart the swirling NightMare army ahead with ease, the two of them working efficiently and quickly.

"We are a good team!" Jack called out to Nightlight. The spectral boy nodded in response and smiled broadly. He wasn't showing any weakness like he had earlier that night. Jack thought that maybe taking care of the kids in Burgess and giving them sweet dreams gave Nightlight a little kick, some more energy. Jack had noticed that every time they helped a child it seemed to give Nightlight more strength, like how the cold outdoors gave himself strength. He just hoped that Nightlight could hold onto that energy until they made it to safety.

Nightlight dodged to the right as a huge Nightmare came barreling through and nearly knocked both of them off their feet. Nightlight pulled Jack out of the NightMare's range and they laughed as the NightMare ran past, feeling liberated. Jack hadn't been in a fight like this since his first battle two years ago. That was the battle when Sandy had disappeared, and then Jack himself had discovered his center.

Nightlight smiled at Jack, and for a moment time seemed to freeze around them. Like for one moment, everything would be fine. Like the painting meant nothing, and Nightlight would never be taken under Pitch's control like Snow had. And so Jack let go of his worries, letting his guard down as he enjoyed this time with Nightlight and the others. He laughed triumphantly as he battled the NightMares. And little by little the Nightmare attacks became less frequent, less powerful.

After the Nightmare attacks weakened they began to move much quicker, but so did the NightMares along side them. The city lights, hundreds of feet below, slowly disappeared. A small forest suddenly appeared under them, Burgess's small natural reserve. It was where Jack had lived when he was alive, and he couldn't help but glance down a few times as they inched their way across the vast woodland.

Suddenly Jack realized that Nightlight wasn't fighting as fast and hard as he had just minutes ago. His movements seemed labored and foggy, not his crisp stabs and lightweight footwork that usually made up his fighting style.

"You okay?" Jack asked Nightlight, placing his hand on his shoulder.

Nightlight nodded trying to reassure Jack that he was fine. But his eyes were squinted in fearful anticipation, like he knew something was approaching.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked. "Is something coming?"

Nightlight nodded sluggishly. Jack tried to fill himself with false hope, telling himself it was help along the way. He hoped for North with his sleigh or Tooth with her gleaming swords (A gift from North) or Bunnymund with his exploding eggs and boomerangs to come bursting from the clouds around them. But Nightlight's fearful look filled him with dread knowing that it wasn't any kind of assistance on its way.

"Is it Pitch?" Jack asked fearfully, dreading his friend's response. "Is Pitch coming?"

Nightlight didn't have to even reply. Jack knew the answer from the horrific laughter that suddenly tore across the scene, chilling them where they stood. Jack whirled around to face the sound and saw a horrific sight, Pitch's tall silhouette standing against the bright white full moon. He seemed to be unaware of them though, he was staring hungrily at the dreamsand cloud behind them.

Jack scowled. "Pitch…" He muttered under his breath, both angrily and fearfully. He involuntary drew closer to Nightlight, determined to make sure that this wouldn't be a repeat of the first time he fought Pitch so many years ago. He wasn't losing Sandy, or Nightlight.

Katherine's voice rang out over the crazed neighing of the roused NightMares. "Fallback!" She yelled to them. Jack and Nightlight whirled around to see her and Sandy fending off a wave of NightMares about 10 yards away, desperate for help. April and Cupid slowly backed up to the cloud, not taking their eyes off the provoked NightMares. The sound of their master had made them nervous and excited.

"Come on Nightlight," Jack said, tugging on the boys arm. "We need to get back to the others."

Nightlight nodded like he was clearing his head and then the two of them dived into the scrimmage of the NightMares. Jack didn't dare to leave Nightlight's side, so it took a few minutes to be able to make it to the safe golden glow of the dreamsand cloud. They also tried to fly low so they would be unspotted by Pitch. The element of surprise was all that they could have in this fight. So Jack tried his best to fly so close to Nightlight that he himself wouldn't be spotted by Pitch (Who would surely have

April, Cupid, Katherine, and Sandy were fighting as hard as they could to defend the small cloud of safety mainly because Katherine was on it. She was the only Minor Guardian who didn't have the ability to fly and the cloud was the only thing keeping in her in the air.

"Jack!" Katherine yelled. Jack landed down next to her, and Nightlight next to him.

Jack panted heavily, saying, "What is it Goose Girl?"

"Get over here!" She yelled furiously. Jack walked over to her and she grabbed him by the arm, pulling him beside her. She was standing beside Cupid and pushed Jack behind her. Her large wings covered Jack completely from Pitch's sight.

"We need backup," She said. "We can't fight Pitch alone."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Jack asked.

"You're the fastest, Jack," She said, her brilliant mind conjuring a plan. "I doubt that Pitch has even seen you yet, which gives us the element of surprise. Maybe you get through the NightMares and up to the front and out of this mess. Then you could fly to the Pole and get some backup. North could get here in a flash with a snow globe, it's our only hope."

Pitch's laughter suddenly exploded across the scene once again, echoing across the swirling black clouds around them like they where inside a dark cavern. Nightlight shivered violently. The glowing boy had a look in his eyes, the same look Jack had seen earlier that night right before he had went into a trancelike state. Jack could tell that his friend didn't have much time. Jack didn't like the idea of traveling to the Pole alone, but Nightlight was in danger.

And if it was the only way for Nightlight and Sandy to reach safety, so be it.

"All right," He said reluctantly, gripping his staff tightly. "Keep them safe, Goose Girl."

Katherine nodded, her eyes filled with a stormy sea of worried determination. She wiped her sweaty brow and then jumped back into the fight, her backside to Sandy's. Nightlight fought next to them, close to Cupid. He was getting more and more sluggish in his attacks and Jack knew within minutes he wouldn't be able to defend himself at all.

Jack took a deep breath, staring off into the dark abyss ahead of him, pairs of NightMare eyes gleaming in the blackness. Then he summoned a wind from behind then jumped off the cloud, the wind catching him like he was wearing a zip liners belt. He shot across the scene with extreme power, the Nightmare's too shocked to do him any harm. He dodged up and down, not wanting to waste time by trying to destroy them all. He would inflict quick stabs with his staff when he needed too, but they just slowed him down. He only had one goal, to get out before Pitch had the since to look up and see him. He didn't have much time and he knew it. The group could only hold off Pitch for a little longer, and try to keep Katherine's plan of Jack's escape secret.

Jack was beginning to near the edge of the NightMare heard when he heard Pitch's scornful laughter suddenly stop. Jack could tell by the change in the atmosphere that Pitch had realized something was amiss from the Nightmare's startled neighs. He was so close to freedom, just a few more yards. But the voice almost made him want to stop and surrender, to crawl up into a ball and hide even though he was so close.

"Jack Frost?" Pitch yelled.

He could hear the blood pumping in his ears. Pitch had seen him, and it would just be a matter of minutes before he would be overcome by the Boogeyman. He had to get out now, so he had to fly even harder.

"GET HIM!" Pitch screamed from behind, making Jack's heart freeze.

He panted and summoned another wind to him from below, but a loud NightMare whinny from the side of him broke him from his concentrated flying. The nose was followed by a series of snorts as if the NightMare was trying to speak. Jack looked over just in time to see a pair of golden-red eyes that belonged to the largest NightMare he had ever seen fly past him. But he and this particular NightMare had met before. Jack recognized him from when Pitch attacked Tooth's palace. When Tooth had tried to assault Pitch the NightMare had exploded from the shadows at Pitch's feet. He was one of the oldest NightMares, Pitch's faithful steed.

"Onyx!" Jack breathed. Pitch hadn't come to stop him; he had sent his finest horse to do the dirty work; a move Jack hadn't expected.

The horse galloped past Jack with ease, his long graceful legs cutting the air and making it hard for Jack to glide through the winds that carried through it. He was easily overtaken by the Mare of Darkness. Onyx had stopped his gallop and was now blocking the path that was Jack's escape. And to Jack's horror all the NightMares from around him suddenly stopped whirling about in confusion and followed suit, silently obeying their superior cohort.

Jack's heart sunk in his chest as he realized he was surrounded. He tried to go down, and Onyx blocked his path below. But if he went upwards then he would be the perfect target for one of Pitch's arrows or aerial attacks. So he pulled up to a standing position and slowly started to back away from the large group of beasts. They began to advance on him until he was nearly back to the group. The pairs of individual glowing eyes in the NightMare heard numbered in the thousands.

"How you going to get yourself out of this one, Jack?" Jack whispered to himself, not seeking a reply to his doomed question. He already knew the answer. But to his surprise, someone answered anyway.

"Simple," Pitch's smooth, venomous voice said with amused mirth.

"You don't."

Jack wheeled around to see Pitch standing not more that 30 feet away, looking very smug on his blacksand cloud. His eyes where filled with anger, surprise, and maybe a hint of respect for Jack that he had escaped yet again. But Jack didn't notice Pitch's glowing eyes, he was blankly staring at what Pitch was wielding in his hands-

A long nightmare sand arrow, its tip sharper then the NightMare's teeth, aimed directly at his heart.

Jack struggled for a moment, trying to decide what to do. He didn't have anywhere to go. His death was sealed, and he knew it. But he wasn't going to give Pitch the satisfaction of seeing him scared.

Jack stuck out his chin like a defiant child and let his lips form a smug grin. If he was going to go down, he was going to go down fighting, or at least not quivering in fear of death.

He rose up into the air a few feet and lowered his staff to his side in an effort to show bravery. He closed his eyes and puffed out his chest, resisting the urge to cockle-doodle-do like a rooster in his last few moments of existence (Something he had always wanted to do).

The NightMares all grew quiet and watched in silence as Pitch drew his hand away from the arrow's end. Jack squinted his eyes slightly open to get a last glance at the bright moon that sat just behind the Nightmare King. And Jack swore he could see the man in the moon's face in the shadows of the white light, his face somber and sad. Whether he was grieving for his own fate or Nightlight or Sandy's, Jack didn't know.

He watched as Pitch took his hand completely away from the arrow. It shot forward in swirl of nightmare sand, darker than night. He could see it getting bigger and bigger, closer and closer.

But then to his surprise and relief a beautiful warm light came into his vision, streaking across the sky and towards Pitch's arrow. Was it a shooting star come to grant his a dying wish? He didn't really have anything to wish for, except that Katherine could get the others out of there safely. He then closed his eyes and awaited the arrow to come in peace, knowing that he had done his best. And he held his breath, awaiting the sharp arrow to dig deep into his chest.

But no arrow ever came.

"NO!" Someone shrieked. It was Katherine, her voice high and desperate. Jack assumed that she was screaming out to him in some sort of warning plea. Who else could she be calling out to?

Then she screamed again, this time a name. Jack was sure it was going to be his own name and that she was crying out in a desperate plea for his life.

But it wasn't his name she screamed.

"NIGHTLIGHT!"

Jack's eyes snapped open as everything suddenly clicked together. The star that had been flying to Pitch…

It wasn't a star at all.

"NO!" Jack screamed. This couldn't be happening, but here it was, right in front of his eyes. It was like he was in a dream, or more like a nightmare.

He opened his eyes just in time to see a black arrow and a bright white figure collide, nightmare sand flying in all directions on impact. A long skinny arrow punctured straight through the figure's chest, poking out the other side. It was the figure of a skinny boy, younger than Jack. His hair was wispy and his limbs long. It could only be one person, one extremely brave boy who had sacrificed himself for his friend. Jack only knew one person that courageous, that selfless. And Katherine's mournful screams confirmed his fears.

He knew he was saved.

But his friend was lost.


	32. The Gift: Chapter 32

~The Gift~

The spectral boy went lifeless as the arrow's momentum shot him backward, the NightMares parting to form a path for his rough and unplanned flight. Nightlight turned to face Jack, his expression outlined in the moon's sad glow. Extreme pain, surprise, fear, and confusion were apparent on his small face as he tried to understand what had happened. Jack couldn't move, too shocked that such a horrific turn of events had taken place. Then Nightlight's body went completely slack, his moonbeam staff seeming to loose its bright glow. Pitch raised his hand to a fist and the nightmare sand around Nightlight turned into a long skinny rope, fastening itself on the boy's right foot. Then it tightened, shooting to the ground like a long snake. And Nightlight's frail body followed down after it, his arms flailing in the air searching for help.

Jack didn't even realize it, but he immediately shot down in an incredible nose-dive. The NightMares (Who had been watching Nightlight's struggle) didn't even bother to stop him. Jack flew as fast as he could, tightening his body into a straight line. Nightlight was 50 feet away, then 25, then 10, and then Jack was only about two yards from his friend's outstretched hands. Nightlight reached as hard as he could, his face contorted in extreme pain. Jack looked down and saw that they were nearing the treetops of Burgess's forest reserve right next to his own lake, the frozen surface gleaming in the moonlight.

"Grab my hand!" Jack yelled. Nightlight drew his hand back and then shot it forward with as much force as he could muster. Which wasn't a lot of strength, the arrow (Still sticking from his chest in a nightmarish manor) was draining him of his energy by the second. Jack grabbed wildly and to his relief his fingertips caught Nightlight's.

Jack grunted and pulled Nightlight's hand into his own so he could have a better grip, using the wind to keep them up in the air for a while longer. Jack looked down to the ground to see where the nightmare sand was taking Nightlight. He was shocked to see a deep hole in the ground directly below them, surrounded by the remains of an old wooden bed that had been destroyed years ago. And the end of the nightmare sand rope was shooting deep down into the holes dark depths, pulling Nightlight inside. Pitch must have known that Nightlight wouldn't be easy to take over, so he had been planning to kidnap him all along. If Nightlight went down that hole, Jack feared he would never see his friend again.

But in the blink of an eye they were there, right at the edge of the never-ending black abyss. Nightlight was being pulled down into it with extreme force and Jack could tell he was in pain. Jack found himself flat on his stomach, his arms outstretched to Nightlight. Jack dug his toes into the snow and threw his staff to the side. He tried to pull Nightlight back onto the ground, but to no avail. The only thing he was doing was keeping Nightlight from going down into the blackness, but his arms would surely tire out soon.

Nightlight frowned and gave Jack a worried look. He looked so tired, so worn. Like he could just fall asleep.

"Hey," Jack said. "Stay with me buddy, we can get you out. We are going to be fine, just…..just….." He was trying to keep himself together, if he freaked out Nightlight wouldn't stand a chance at all. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to recollect himself.

Nightlight squeezed Jack's hand and smiled. His weary expression read, 'Don't worry.'

Jack scoffed, "How? I have to get you out of here!"

Nightlight's hand began to slacken. To Jack's horror Nightlight mouthed, 'Let me go'. He said it casually like he was asking for more butter for his toast, but it was basically like he was stating his own death sentence.

Jack's look became stern and he said aloud, "No."

There was silence as the tension in the air settled. Jack could hear the screams of battle from high above echoing through the silence of the forest. Thunder clashed and NightMares neighed battle cries, Pitch's laughter ringing out above the chaos. They needed help. But he wasn't leaving Nightlight here; he wasn't loosing another friend.

"I can't leave you, Nightlight!" Jack said, gripping Nightlight's hand.

Nightlight tried to pull his hand away, an unusual anger in his eyes as he stuck out his chin defiantly.

"NO!" Jack said as he grasped Nightlight's hand even tighter, his knuckles a pale white.

Nightlight looked up into Jack's eyes with a look of pained pleading. Jack could tell that the blacksand was pulling on his leg with extreme force and hurting him. But Jack couldn't make himself let go. He solemnly shook his head, his eyes and nose stinging.

Then suddenly a new noise from above caught their attention, a blood-curtailing scream. Nightlight's face grew pale and both of them shot their heads upwards searching for the source of the cry. Jack immediately searched for Sandy; fearful Pitch had attacked him like he had Nightlight and one of the girls had screamed. But Sandy was safe and sound, surrounded by April and Cupid as he floated high above his dreamsand cloud. But the Sandman's face suddenly filled with terror as he peered down at his vacant cloud.

Jack gasped, whispering, "Katherine!"

Katherine was falling like a stone, her yellow coat a blur in the night sky. She looked like a skydiver with her arms and legs outstretched as she tried to slow her decent. Her swords where falling beside her, she had clearly abandoned them seconds ago. She let out another scream of dread and desperation, making Nightlight's hand tighten in fear. Cupid heard her scream and leaped into a nosedive, but she was too late. She wasn't close enough to catch up with Katherine before she would hit the ground.

Nightlight suddenly started to kick and thrash violently as he tried to shake the nightmare sand's grip from his foot. But after a few seconds he gave up, his face filled with exhaustion as he watched Katherine fall to the ground like a flightless bird. Jack's insides felt torn. He had to choose between his two friends. If he stayed there with Nightlight then Katherine would surely die. But if he shot off to save Katherine, Nightlight would be dragged into the depths of Pitch's lair. And if he didn't choose between the two of them soon, fate would choose for him. And it seemed like the fates where in neither of their favors. Jack could barely breathe or move, let alone make such an important choice.

But Nightlight chose in his stead.

The spectral boy looked up at Jack, his green eyes shining in determination. Then with one swoop he violently brought his staff forward, straight to Jack's face. Jack yelped and immediately jumped back to avoid his spear's crystal dagger. The blade cut him just above his eyebrow and began to bleed profoundly. But he didn't pay attention to his injury; his mind went into overdrive as he realized he had let go of Nightlight's hand.

"No!" Jack yelled, leaping forward. Nightlight didn't even try to stay above the ground, ignoring Jack's outstretched hands. The glowing boy disappeared down the hole, his staff following after. Jack took action and grabbed onto the end of the staff right before it too disappeared down the hole. Nightlight's weight pulled Jack to the very edge of the hole until his waist was along the rim of the pit, the rest of him headfirst down the black tunnel.

Nightlight looked up at Jack angrily, but his face softened as he saw Jack's miserable gaze. Nightlight looked up at his glowing staff, then his eyes widened in realization. He reached one hand up past Jack's hand and gripped the crystal dagger at the top. He jerked his hand sideways and Jack heard a loud pop as the crystal was broken off the staff.

"Katherine," Nightlight said as he handed the glowing object to Jack. It was the only word he had said that night, the name of his best friend. Jack knew that he had to give this to Katherine, and that she would know what to do with it. Then the staff started to slide from Jack's fingers one-by-one, Nightlight's only lifeline. The staff was wrenched from his grip and the nightmare sand roughly whisked Nightlight away from him, down the hole ,and out of sight in the blink of an eye. Nightlight's silvery glow grew fainter and fainter until it was gone and Jack was left with nothing but the sounds of his own desperate screams echoing down the dark tunnel.

"Nightlight!" Jack screamed out in sheer sorrow, his head hanging low. Then his blood began to boil as his sorrow suddenly turned to a fiery anger, his face tightening in rage. He punched the edge of the hole suddenly, hating his feeling of helplessness that he had.

He backed up out of the hole quickly using his arms and core strength to get back onto the snow covered ground. He then ran to his staff, discarded and forgotten in the snow. He grabbed it with his cold hands and gripped the frozen wood tightly, Nightlight's dagger in his other hand. He quickly turned and saw Katherine, her body still falling fast. She was only 50 feet from the ground, getting closer and closer. He could either save her, or go after Nightlight. And he knew what Nightlight would rather have him do.

He crouched down to the ground and then extended his legs, propelling himself into the air. At the same time he stuffed Nightlight's spearhead crystal into his pocket. He shot through the air in the blink of an eye straight to her gravity-bound body, his arms wrapping around Katherine only 20 feet from the ground.

Her eyes shot open and she threw her arms around Jack's neck so she wouldn't slip out of his grip. She smiled warmly at him, her eyes glistening in what used to be fearful tears. She let out a sigh of relief as the two of them soared back up to the fight, which had risen to an airplane's altitude. But then her look of happiness faded away as she realized that no one was following after Jack, Nightlight nowhere in sight.

"Jack?" She asked. "Where's Nightlight?"

Jack turned his head from her so she couldn't see the pain in his eyes. He didn't respond, which made her go still and silent. Jack looked back at her and saw that her eyes were wide and incomprehensive.

"No…." She muttered. "No, no, no!"

She glanced at Jack, sheer terror in her eyes. "What happened? Why didn't you save him?"

Jack grimaced, the hurtful words stinging deep. "I…." He said weakly, "I tried..."

Katherine stared off into the night, her red locks whirling about her young face. After a long moment she spoke, whispering, "He's gone?"

Jack nodded slowly after a moment. "Yeah- he's gone." He said. Katherine seemed to be in some sort of daze as her brain tried to understand what Jack had said. She had seen the arrow hit him, but he was so strong. He had survived centuries inside of Pitch's heart. Surely he could've fought off that small arrow? Maybe he could have if he had had the chance to. But Nightlight was gone, and all that Jack could do was make sure that he kept his friend's last wish.

He was going to protect Katherine if it was the last thing he was ever going to do.

"Katherine," Jack said quickly as he sped up. "Get into my sweatshirt pocket."

Katherine obeyed, and her hands quickly found his heavy pocket. She pulled out the crystal dagger, its brilliant light reflecting off her amazed eyes. "The dagger…" She said breathlessly.

"He wanted you to have it, I guess he knew you would know what to do with it." Jack said sadly.

Katherine smiled weakly, wiping her tears. Then she looked to Jack. "Oh goodness…" She said. "He wanted me to have it?"

Jack nodded. She smiled and brought the dagger to her chest, the only fragment Nightlight had left behind for them. "Well then," She said with a grin. "Let's go and kick Pitch's butt."

Jack smiled broadly, trying to hide his extreme sadness with what he usually hid it with best; Fun.

"Gladly."


	33. Broken: Chapter 33

~Broken~

Chaos.

Everything around Jack was just sheer chaos.

Now, to him, chaos wasn't something that was unfamiliar. He created winter storms that wildly took over the warmer months in a harsh, freezing way; much unlike the spring seasons that would claim his winter many months later softly and quietly. He even had the nerve to start up a snowball fight on an elementary playground; he didn't know anything more frenzied and hectic than that.

But here he was amidst a sea of never-ending NightMare's with only Katherine, Cupid, April, and Sandy by his side. Not that he would rather have anyone else, they were amazing fighters.

Cupid was shooting arrows from her bow even faster than before, loading them 5 at a time. They varied from the ice arrows Jack and North had crafted for her, to large exploding ones that could destroy half a dozen NightMares in the blink of an eye. She even sent a few of her famous 'love arrows' into the fray, the ones she used to fire at unsuspecting humans, making them fall madly in love with another. The unfortunate NightMare in the arrows path would find itself running after the first NightMare it would see, wreaking havoc as the two star-crossed lovers bolted across the sky; One fleeing in perplexed terror and the other following in a blissful pursuit.

April's hair was blacker than Jack had ever seen it, although every few moments it would become a bright as it was lit with miniature flashes of lightening that flashed between her stormy locks. She was stirring up a large storm that seemed to be a cross between a blizzard and a thunderstorm and it rolled all around them . The black clouds around them swirled violently as they swallowed dozens of NightMares up into the confusion. Bright flashes of light would travel across the sky in sharp jagged patterns forming the brightest and most powerful lightening sparks he had ever seen. Moments later the light would be followed up by even more powerful rumbles of thunder that Jack could feel vibrate all the way into his bones, and he knew that they would be heard from miles away.

Katherine fought with Nightlight's broken spearhead along side the whip-wielding Sandman, her grief and sorrow now a powerful motivation that made her fight harder and stronger. Her swords were far below them, abandoned in her freefell, and the crystal dagger was serving her well. The gemstone seemed to be familiar in her hands, like she had used it before.

There was no way out for them now, no way to run. They just had to stay and fight for their lives. It felt like they was going to drown in NightMares, each one snorting and neighing violently as they flew past them, trying to knock them from the air and to the ground. Jack was one of their main targets. The air was their home field; they had a serious advantage. But with 4 others around Jack, he had an advantage as well. But it still wasn't enough. If he was going to get to Pitch through this fray before the Boogeyman could disappear, he would need much more help. He and the rest of his crew had been on duty for at least 12 or more hours. It was well past the end of their shift. They were hungry, tired, and needed backup.

Then Jack's head shot up in surprise. Where were Hallow and Eve, coming for their shift? Could they be hurt? Or did they see the NightMares and run off to the North Pole for help? If they had done so than they might just be saved, and Nightlight's struggles not gone to waste. But how long until help could reach them? Would it be too late by the time they could show up? Would Pitch be long gone, after to find Nightlight, wherever the boy lay deep within his lair? Could they hold on long enough for help?

And to his surprise his chain of thoughts was interrupted in a sudden and rough way:

"JACK! GET OUT OF ZE WAY!"

Jack had about half a second to compute the Russian-accented demand and then act. He flung himself to the side and felt a powerful wind come from his other side. He looked up just in time to see a bright red sleigh flying right past him pulled by 7 husky reindeer. The sleigh's rider snapped the rains, his white beard flapping in the wind and his bushy eyebrows furrowed in anger.

Jack's body relaxed in relief, then shot into action as he jumped onto the side of the sleigh as it streaked past. "North!" Jack yelled in happiness.

North shook his head angrily, keeping his eyes fixed ahead on Pitch's form as NightMares few around them in all directions. "Vy does everyzing bad 'appen ven you get 'envolved, Jack?"

Jack normally would have scowled, or thrown a small fit in his defense. But after all that had happened that night the only thing he could do was burst into a fit of laughter. His eyes watered and North stared at him funnily as he laughed like a crazed madman, but after all the hell he had been through the only thing he could do was just laugh at himself, at his horrid bad luck. And maybe if he laughed North wouldn't notice the tears of happiness that had formed in his eyes, and the tears of sadness that had been dying to come out. He was Jack Frost; he wasn't ruining his reputation for having ice-cold nerves of steel.

"Jack," North said with concern in his eyes. "Are you alvight?"

Jack nodded, wiping his eyes. "Yeah," He said, his voice breaking a little bit. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good," North replied. "Now, can you 'old off Pitch long enough for me to get Sandy and Katherine avay from 'ere and to ze Pole?"

Jack nodded, his eyes fixed straight ahead at the Nightmare King as his relief and sadness were overcome with a feeling of anger, aimed at the man who had caused all his pain, getting closer and closer by the minute. "That I can do, North."

North grabbed Jack's hand and the boy turned to the large man. "Jack," North said. "Just keep 'im occupied for a few minutes. No funny business, Jack, just keep 'is attention long enough for us to get avay."

"Roger that," Jack said with a smile. "But not about the funny business. I am the guardian of fun you know," He said with a wink, like North had forgotten.

North rolled his eyes and snapped the reins. Jack jumped off the sleigh and into the air right above Pitch, landing on his blacksand cloud with ease.

Pitch slowly turned to face Jack, a triumphant smile on his face. "Well, well, well…" He said slowly as his hands rose up in welcome. "What have we here?"

"Booger-man," Jack spat in greeting.

Pitch scowled. "Frost."

Then Jack couldn't hold back his anger any longer. He stepped forward and slammed his staff to the side of Pitch's smug little face. But Pitch's hand caught to wooden weapon before it made contact, breaking out into a grin.

"You make this too easy, Frost," He said. "It's almost like you try to make it fun for me."

Jack smiled, "Fun is my specialty."

The battle that followed was unlike any that Jack had ever had with Pitch. Before he had always had someone else with him; whether it was Tooth blocking an arrow or Bunny deflecting an unexpected blow he had had always had a team member with him when he fought like this. But this was different. It was one-on-one, and it was anything but fun. Pitch anticipated each of his attacks, blocking and counterattacking each one. It was horribly frustrating. Pitch smacked Jack hard with a blast of blacksand and he was sent sprawled to the side. Jack cringed knowing that Pitch was about to finish him off. And as soon as Pitch finished him off, he would go after the others: the guardians, his dear friends, and even worse, after the children.

Jack's eyes widened in realization.

The children.

He wasn't fighting for himself. He wasn't even really fighting for his friends, or for the guardians. He was fighting for the children. For Jamie, and for Sophie. For Pippa and Cupcake. For Monty, Claude, and Caleb. If he disappeared, and the guardians disappeared, who would protect them in his place?

Jack's jaw stiffened. He wasn't going anywhere. This was his place, and he was going to protect them himself.

He yelled in battle cry, throwing himself back into the fight with a sudden determination that surprised Pitch and threw him off balance. And from that moment on the fight was fun, not to the boogeyman, but to the guardian of fun himself.

Jack parried, trusted, and blocked with complete, cheeky confidence. It infuriated Pitch, which made it all the better.

"I don't understand!" Pitch screamed.

Jack smiled. "Oh Pitch," He said. "You can't beat a guardian. It simply, isn't, done." He said the last words with a British accent, infuriating Pitch even more. But then the Nightmare King's look of rage softened, turning into a look of some kind of devilish understanding Jack had yet to grasp. Then Pitch smiled, his hand raising to his eye level.

"Alright then," He said. "You want to be a guardian, fine."

Then he snapped his fingers, the sound echoing across the hundreds of NightMares. Then they all grew still, their golden eyes turned to their master. Then one by one, they all changed their course and dove down to the ground in a death defying decent. Straight to the houses that surrounded them. Straight to the sleeping children.

"Go and guard your precious children."

Jack froze as Pitch's demand sunk into his mind. He could either go and fight off the NightMares alone, or he could stay and fight Pitch while the children suffered. Pitch had found his weak spot, and Jack knew he had lost.

"No!" He yelled, running to the edge of the cloud, gripping his hair madly. "Please!" He screamed at Pitch desperately. "Call them off! Please!"

Pitch just smiled, his head shaking in response. "No." He said smugly.

Jack was shaking with horrid guilt and fear, which slowly turned to red rage. "Call! Them! OFF!" He screamed, grabbing onto Pitch's shoulders with a grip that would surely leave busies long after this night.

Pitch leaned into Jack's face, his golden eyes flashing with triumph.

"You wanted to be a guardian," He said. "And if you won't guard the children, then what good are you as a guardian at all?"

Then Jack felt a searing hot pain enter into his chest, straight through his ribs and to his heart. And all he could fell was pain. And it wasn't physically pain, it was the realization that he couldn't protect all the children. That he had failed. And that Jamie would have horrible nightmare's tonight, waking up to a world where there was nothing but cold, dark, and fear,

He wasn't a guardian.

He had broken his oath.

While Jack was dazed in shock Pitch took his knee and shoved it into his chest, then shot his free arms to the sky. A dark wave of nightmare sand plowed Jack straight through the bottom of the blacksand cloud, breaking the sand into a fine powder. He found himself falling freely, gasping for air and trying to catch a firm grip on the winds before he knew what had happened.

Then something hit him, hard. He supposed it was a NightMare, or Pitch come to finish him off. But when he opened his eyes he was met with a pair of stormy grey eyes, wide in alarm.

"Jack!" Katherine yelled. "Oh, Jack are you alright?"

Jack sat up quickly and looked about him, seeing he had luckily landed right in the middle of North's sleigh. Sandy sat next to Katherine, his eyes wide in alarm as he stared at Jack's sprawled out body that had popped out of thin air. April, Cupid, and North sat close by, staring with the same expression. He had landed right on top of Katherine's body, a one in a million chance. If he would have landed anywhere else he would have been badly injured. It was the only good luck he had had all night.

"Am I alright?" Jack yelled. "Are you kidding me! Are you alright?"

Katherine nodded as she helped Jack up. "I'm fine, Jack."

But Jack wasn't listening. As he stood he saw a sickening scene etched out in front of him, making him speechless with horrified shock. NightMares by the hundreds stormed through the skies, diving into houses that harbored the bright yellow light of dreamsand dreams. But short after they went inside, the lights ceased to glow, the dreams destroyed. And it was all his fault.

"NORTH!" He screamed. "Turn around! Turn around!" He yelled as he ran to the front of the sleigh, shaking North's shoulders in desperation. "The NightMares! We have to stop them before-"

"No, Jack." North said sadly.

Jack froze. "What do you mean? No?"

North stared ahead, his face expressionless. "Zere is nozing ve can do, Jack. If ve go back, ve vill never make 'et back to ze Pole alive."

Jack was flabbergasted. "But….but…" he muttered soundlessly. "We need to help them, North! We are guardians!"

"No Jack!" North yelled suddenly. "Zere are zome zings zat ve cannot do. If you really vant to protect the children, you need to protect yourself. Vat good are you to zem if you cannot fight at all?"

"But…" Jack said as he tried to comprehend North's words as he stared at the city of Burgess behind them. "The children…." He choked on the words, and all of the sleighs inhabitants looked away from him in…Shame? Embarrassment? All except Katherine, who continued to stare at him with a look of pained sadness in her eyes.

Katherine walked forward and placed her hand on Jack's shoulder for comfort. But the wise girl had no words to comfort him, and if she didn't, then who would?

They then rode in silence through the night sky as they stared out into the storms. Jack inwardly weeped as everything they believed in and fought to protect disappeared into an endless sea of uncontrollable NightMares.

And for what seemed to be the hundredth time that night, Jack's heart broke.

And he had nothing to comfort him but the grieving hand of Nightlight's goose girl.


	34. A Mourning Moon: Chapter 34

~A Mourning Moon~

((Link to some RotG music if you would like to 'set the mood'. It's the soundtrack from Sandy's death. It is short and will need to be replayed a few times unless you read crazy fast. watch?v=olufvjLqilw ))

When Sandy had died, Jack and the Guardians had mourned.

But this was something completely different.

Jack held in his hands a silver candle, the wick burning with a small and determined flicker. The guardians stood behind him, holding their own. But Jack's candle was special. It was Nightlight's candle, like Sandy had had a candle when he passed. Although the Sandman's candle had been golden, and Nightlight's was a beautiful silvery-white. Tooth had carried Sandy's candle then, but they had decided that it was Jack's right to do so for Nightlight. Katherine had insisted. Jack was one of the people who was closest to him, the one he had sacrificed himself for. It was now his job to carry the candle and lead the guardians to Nightlight's memorial, halfway across the workshop. But after a few steps forward, he stopped, his chest heaving under his immense guilt as he tried to keep tears at bay. He couldn't move forward any more, he couldn't take another step. He wasn't strong enough to lead the guardians there.

Katherine walked forward, placing her hand under the candle and lifting it with him. Her other hand was on his shoulder; turning him so he would face her. She smiled up at him painfully, her eyes overflowing with salty tears. Suddenly Jack felt stronger, his shoulders squaring as his posture returned to a prideful stance as he wiped his eyes. He was the one who was supposed to be comforting Katherine, not the other way around. He had to be strong for her.

Together they supported the candle, her hand under Jack's. She gave Jack's shoulder a little guiding push, giving him the strength to move on. Then they continued to walk forward and carried it the rest of the way side by side, the dim silver glow from the candle reflecting from the tears on Katherine's cheeks. The crossed the workshop in silence, hundreds of yetis, elves, and minor guardians watching them pass in a reverent silence through a clear pathway. They crossed the workshop inch by inch, each step stronger than the last.

They passed the globe as they neared their destination, circling around it as they neared the front. Jack could see that on each level of the workshop the yetis had ceased their work and had gathered at the banisters in a humbled silence. Snow was falling through the hole in the ceiling where the man in the moon stood silent, like the rest of the North Pole's inhabitants. His crater incrusted face seemed to be crying, the snowflakes moonlit tears illuminated by the dim glow of the golden globe.

Jack and Katherine walked to the front of the globe, facing the main controls. On the floor was spread a light dusting of snow, the Man in the Moon's pool of frozen sorrow covering the Crest of the Guardians. Bunnymund walked forward and stood next to Jack, and Tooth next to Katherine. North stood next to Tooth, and Sandy next to Bunny. Each of them held a candle, which they placed down at their feet in a circle.

Jack watched as a few dozen yetis walked forward and placed an army of silver glowing candles around them, placed delicately in the light snow. The silvery light reflected onto the faces of the grief-filled guardians and sent ghostly shadows onto the pure white snow.

Katherine and Jack bent down at the same time and softly placed the candle in the middle of the beautiful memorial. As they stood Jack noticed that their candle seemed to glow brighter then the rest, and the most beautifully. Katherine's hand wrapped around Jack's, squeezing it tightly. Then she reached over and grabbed onto Tooth's small hand, and Tooth onto North's. Jack's hand slid into Bunnymund's furry paw, and Sandy reached up to grab the Pooka's other paw

Then they all stood in a still silence for what seemed for hours, their hands connected as they all mourned in silence for what had been lost that night. Most of them had done this once before. But it didn't make it any easier. Especially for Jack. This, to him, was a thousand times harder than when Sandy died. When the Sandman disappeared, Jack felt that if he would have been faster he could have saved his friend. But Nightlight had physically sacrificed himself for Jack. If Jack hadn't have gotten into trouble, or even gone out onto patrol, Nightlight would be with them now. But he was gone, his staff broken and his silvery glow confined to the dark depths of Pitch's lair. This was all his fault. And no one could ever convince him otherwise.

Then an achingly beautiful thing happened, right before all of their tear-filled eyes. Jack watched in awe as small green sprouts started to grow from the ground around Nightlight's candle, peeking up from the snow. It was like he was watching a video of a plant growing in fast forward. Vines sprouted and grew buds, as well as leaves. Judging by the wide-eyed look of the guardians around him Jack could tell that they didn't know what was going on either. But then suddenly all of the small buds emerged, beautiful folds of white petals extending from the small sprout. The name of the flower popped into Jack's mind. Ipomoea. Jack knew these flowers well; they had grown all around his house when he was alive. They were known as 'Morning Glories'. But in ancient times they were called moonflowers. And now Jack knew why.

The shimmering petals glowed like beautiful lanterns, a silvery glow that matched the moon's hues as they reflected the moon's sad glow. It looked like the flowers themselves had been grown on the moon, for nothing so beautiful and full of light could be from Earth.

Then Jack realized that these flowers actually were from the moon. A gift from the Man in the Moon to Nightlight. Beautiful blossoms had been born from the sorrow filled snowflakes. Jack knew that it was Manny's gift to their lost friend, a sign he was watching over them. And Jack knew that Manny was trying to send then a subliminal message. A message that they would need to grow from this experience and bloom, like the flowers from the snow. That there would be glory in the morning.

If anyone else would have told Jack that they were going to grow from this experience, he would have blasted them in the face with a snowball. He was in mourning, and he was stubborn and immature. He knew nothing good could come from the sorrow he was feeling. But coming like this, in such a beautiful and subtle way, Jack accepted Manny's message.

How long they stood there staring at the beautiful flowers, Jack didn't know. It could have been seconds, or hours, or many moonlight nights. But when Katherine tugged at his hand to pull him away, he still didn't want to move. But through Katherine's caring touch, he slowly let her walk him away from the memorial. They had mourned enough. It was time for action.

It was time for war.


	35. Counsel of War: Chapter 35

~Counsel of War~

Jack sat cross-legged in a large blue cushy armchair, his staff leaned against the top of the lounger. He had never been in this room before, and he studied it with his eyes subconsciously. Across from him sat a large window, showing the Globe of Belief. The snow was still falling along side it and there was still a large crowd of guardians paying their respects to Nightlight. But the light on the globe was dimmer. Much dimmer. Even now he could see the lights going out like a city's blackout in a snowstorm. But after this meeting, they were going to fix that. But for now he was seated at the head of an ancient 20 foot long table, bored out his mind.

Although the table was old the surface was polished with absolute care and reflected the faces of Jack's companions in the low light. Each face was etched with anger, sadness, concentration, and slight confusion. But Jack refused to show such emotions, so he was pretending to be uninterested in their conversation. This wasn't his business anyway. He was the guardian of fun, which was the opposite of their topic.

This was the Guardian's first Counsel of War.

All 4 of the other Guardians sat around Jack as they planned their course of action, as well as Katherine. The yetis had tried to stop her from coming into their meeting room, but Jack had insisted she come in. He wasn't leaving her side, no matter what the fuming yetis said (Or rather grumbled and grunted).

Katherine sat on his right side now, and Bunny on his left. North sat at the opposite end of the table with Sandy and Tooth on each hand. Each one was listening intently to Katherine, who was now telling what little she knew of what had happened that night. She told how Jack had disappeared, and how they had found Nightlight all alone in a huge fray of NightMares after she had woken up from her nap with the Sandman.

"-They were everywhere," She said. "Thousands of them. They all just popped out of nowhere! One moment there was only a handful, and then we were completely surrounded. An army like that cant just pop up overnight. Pitch has had that NightMare army for weeks; we just didn't know it. He didn't want us to know."

North stroked his beard thoughtfully. "It vas a trick," He agreed at last, nodding softly. "Pitch 'as been vatching from the shadows for the perfect time to strike!" He bashed his fist on the table with the last word, making them all jump. Then sighed, his shoulders slumped, and he continued, "And 'e found it."

The group was silent for a moment, pondering these words. Bunny was gripping on of his boomerangs tightly, and Tooth's hands rested on her sword hilt. The atmosphere in the room was tense, and Jack was dying to get out. He hated serious business like this. It was like making a kindergarten child go to a grown-up business meeting and being expected to actually pay attention. Katherine could tell by his bored expression that he was already tired of the meeting, and sent him a look of sympathy.

Tooth then spoke up, her voice a quivering whisper. "But-what was he after?"

The question seemed to be aimed at Katherine, so she answered. "I don't know. It seemed like he was targeting Sandy, and Jack and Nightlight just….got in the way." Her voice broke on the last word, her fierce stance faltering. But just as quickly as she had wavered she once again regained her regal, leader-like air. She then started rambling about different battle strategies with different code names and such. Then she brought Nightlight's dagger out for all to see.

"Jack said that he wanted me to have it," She said, passing the dagger down to North. "It was like he knew I would know what to do with it."

"Do you know what do vith it?" North asked, examining it carefully.

"Um…not really." She admitted. "But I have some theories-"

She started some wordy stories on about strange myths and facts about light and crystals, and Jack lost interest and drew his attention to a group of elves in the corner of the room. They were waving at him, their bells jingling with the ungraceful movements. Jack smiled and waved back without hesitation, forgetting about the counsel for a moment. He didn't even hear when Katherine called his name the first time, or the second.

"Jack!" She yelled, irritated he wasn't paying attention to their discussion.

Jack's head snapped up and his hand dropped, his face turning a purplish-crimson color with embarrassment. "What?" He asked innocently, as if he had been paying attention all along.

Bunny scowled and Tooth giggled under her hand. Katherine smiled and said," North wants to hear your side of the story now, before we make any decisions."

Jack stared blankly at them. He wasn't any good at telling stories; it flustered him. He didn't have very good speaking skills, being alone for 300 years.

"What's there to tell?" Jack said.

Katherine thought for a moment. "Well, where were you when the NightMares attacked? Nightlight just showed up all alone, and then he disappeared and came back with you. Did you split up?"

Jack's shoulders tightened closer together to make him appear smaller in an effort to get all of the guardian's eyes off of him. "Maybe….." He said, trying to avoid Sandy's furious gaze.

"Why?" Katherine said, her voice strained under her effort to be calm.

Jack cringed. It was like he was being disciplined like a child would be for breaking rules. "So we could go faster," He whispered. "There was a bunch of nightmares going on in Burgess, and Nightlight wasn't acting right-"

Katherine's eyes widened at this. "What?" She said quickly.

"He wasn't acting right," Jack repeated again. "The nightmares were making him all hazy and groggy. So we split up so we could help the children faster."

Katherine nodded softly, starting to see his side of the argument. But the look on Sandy's face was furious, making Jack scared to continue the story. But North said, "Then vat happened? Vy didn't you come back sooner? Surely you 'eard the NightMares attacking outside?"

Jack knew there was no way to avoid confessing. "I…. kind of…. Got trapped in a closet…" He said quietly.

If the atmosphere in the room hadn't been so tense, he would have burst out laughing. The guardian's reactions were priceless. North had been taking a sip of hot cocoa in the middle of Jack's sentence, and had promptly spewed it all of the nearest yeti in surprise. Sandy's face turned an angry shade of orangey gold. Sand symbols popped over his head like channels on a TV, changing from skull and crossbones to exclamation points. Many of the Baby Teeth that surrounded Tooth dropped to the ground in a dead faint. Bunny was so shocked that he shot to his feet in a forceful jump that shook the entire table. Katherine face palmed and sighed, and although it was the smallest reaction from all of the guardians, it filled him with the most guilt.

"YOU VERE VITH PITCH?" North exclaimed, his beard covered in hot cocoa.

"No! He just tricked me into running into the closet, then he was gone!" Jack said defensively.

"Wait, wait, wait," Bunny said, pointing a boomerang at Jack's chest. "You were in Pitch's tunnels? That's where you were?"

Jack threw his hands up in the air. "It was a trap!"

"It wasn't his fault," Katherine said, suddenly standing up for Jack. "It wasn't like he wanted to go. He was tricked."

Bunny remained standing, his eyes flaming. Ever since that Easter 2 years ago when Jack had gone down into Pitch's tunnels to find his teeth and then Easter was ruined, Bunny had been tense about the subject of Pitch's tunnels (and Jack slacking off).

"Bunny, sit," North commanded. Bunnymund sat reluctantly, not taking his eyes off of Jack.

"Then what happened?" Asked Tooth, curiosity and concern in her voice.

"What was in the tunnel?" Katherine asked, her voice slightly excited.

Jack shrugged. "Um…it was wet in there. And there were these weird bones everywhere-"

"Bones?" Bunny choked.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, like skulls and stuff." He looked over at Katherine for support, but she wasn't listening. She was staring off into space, her mind going a thousand miles per hour.

"Then what?" He asked.

"Um, well there was this fork in the tunnel. One went right, one went left."

Katherine's eyes widened, and Jack could see that she was piecing all of the information together into some unknown realization. "What one did you take?" She asked.

"I went left." Jack said. Katherine shoulders seemed to slump, like she was relieved.

"What then?" North asked, very much absorbed into Jack's pathetic story telling.

"Um, well, there was this huge room at the end of the tunnel with a hole in the ceiling, and then I got out and flew away."

"What was in the room?" Tooth asked.

"A broken stained glass window, old furniture, it was like a grand hall. And there was this painting on the wall-"

Jack abruptly stopped. Katherine was staring at him, her eyes wide and her eyebrows furrowed. She was sending him a silent message-'Don't tell them about the painting'. Jack guessed that she had realized that he had gotten his information of Sandy and Nightlight being in great danger from the painting. She was clever, and Jack knew that he had better not question her.

"Vhat vas the painting of?" North asked.

Jack panicked. "It was, um, of flowers! And trees! It was really pretty." The guardians raised their eyebrows, detecting his lying tone. But Jack just smiled, trying to convince them.

Katherine sent him a look that screamed, 'Really? Flowers? That's the best you could think of?'

Jack spoke back through body language, 'Well, sorry! I'm under a lot of pressure here!'

"Where did the tunnel's exit lead?" North asked.

Jack stared blankly at North. Then he slapped his forehead in frustration. He hadn't even bothered to find out where the tunnel exit lead. He knew he had forgotten something, but after seeing Emma all he wanted to do was get out.

"Opps," He said. Katherine seemed as if she was dying to strangle him for not paying attention, something she found a second nature.

"Was there anything else in the tunnels? Or… anybody?" Bunny asked daringly, his voice hard and suspicious.

Jack knew exactly what Bunny meant. He was subliminally accusing him of sneaking off into the tunnels to find Snow, like he had snuck off to find his teeth on Easter.

"I didn't go there looking for her Bunny, if that's what your hinting," Jack said, his voice crisp.

Bunny stiffened. "Was there anyone in the tunnel?" He repeated, this time harsher and more blunt.

"Maybe!" Jack said defiantly.

"Was it her?" Bunny asked forcefully.

"Maybe!" Jack replied again.

The guardians gave him a lecturing look, and Jack continued, "But I ran away from her! Do you think I really would have gone in there, looking for her? After what happened last time? I was in the infirmary for days! Besides, she was freaking me out! She was all spooky and her necklace was all glowy and her hair was all white-"

"VAT?" North said, nearly falling out of his chair and spilling his hot chocolate on the ground. "IT VAS VITE?"

Jack froze, shocked by the outburst. He looked over at Katherine to see she was staring at him with a look of pure terror. Then she looked over at North, and they exchanged a worried glance and a silent conversation.

"It might have just been the lighting…" Jack said, trying to help matters, but to no avail.

North and Katherine looked terrified. Utterly terrified. North, despite his large and sturdy build, was shaking like a leaf. He muttered the words, "Vite, it vas vite…"He and Katherine seemed to be the only ones who understood what the color of her hair meant, leaving the rest of the guardians confused and afraid.

"What is it mate?" Bunny said, looking at North with concern.

"What does it mean?" Tooth chimed in.

North swallowed hard. "Zis, is bad," He said.

"What's bad?" Tooth asked, her wings fluttering nervously as her feathers puffed up in agitation.

"Zis is really, really bad," North repeated. "Ve are in much bigger danger than I 'ad thought."

He jumped up from his chair and walked to a large panel of controls on the side of the room. He looked over at a group of Yetis in the corner, who were very aware of the situation, and nodded his head. The yetis ran over to him in a hurry, responding to the toymaker. Then all of them started to push, turn, click, and spin the controls on the walls, each one knowing exactly what to do and moving with great expertise. The guardians could hear alarms begin to sound from all over the workshop, and more yetis poured in the doors from each side of the room. The minor guardians that were standing around the globe began running all around in confusion.

Bunny stood. "What is this all about, North?" He demanded.

"Are we attacking?" Jack asked hopefully. He had hoped that as soon as they got back to the Pole North would lead an attack to help the children.

North shook his great head, his beard swaying back and forth as he walked back to the table. "No," He said. "Ve are not attacking."

Jack froze.

"Then….what are we doing?" Jack inquired. "What are you doing?"

"I am putting ze Pole on lock down," North said. "We are not strong enough to take Pitch in a fight, and if he invaded ze Pole ve vould be overcome without a struggle."

"What?" Jack demanded. "Why? We have hundreds here, North-"

"Pitch's NightMares outnumber us 100 to one," North said. "Going outside of the Pole would be suicide."

Jack leaped from his chair and grabbed his staff in one swift motion, landing on the table. He started walking across the table towards North, his blood pulsing in his ears. "What happened to 'Guarding the children with our lives; their hopes and dreams'? We made an oath to protect the children, our children." Jack gestured to the revolving globe outside the window, the lights disappearing quickly and visibly. "Look at how fast those lights are going out. We are just going to stand back, and let Pitch spread his fear?"

North's blue eyes flared. "If we go out we will all be at Pitch's mercy. We cannot risk loosing another member of our team."

"I know but-"

"NO BUTS JACK!" North roared. Jack jumped back, shocked and confused where all of North's anger had come from. "If you vant to 'elp the children, keep yourself safe. You aren't any good if you are dead. Ve must stay in hiding until ve can find a way to defeat Pitch and Emma."

Jack looked about the room, to his guardian comrades. "You agree with North?" He said to them. They didn't respond at first, their faces solemn and embarrassed. Then they softly nodded, avoiding eye contact with the boy. Jack backed away, shocked and appalled by their selfishness. Then his confusion turned to anger and frustration.

"The children need our help!" Jack yelled, his staff high above his head. "And if you guys won't help them, then I will by myself!"

Tooth and the others backed away with a horrified look in their eyes, and for a moment Jack didn't know why. Then he saw that his staff was glowing, reacting to his strong emotions. Jack had lost himself in his powers. Being a guardian of winter, his powers were almost as uncontrollable as his emotions. And right now all he wanted to do was race off and destroy Pitch himself. He didn't need the guardians anymore; they had all broken their oath. They just wanted to sit back and watch the children suffer. If they themselves were safe that was all that mattered.

Then he felt a small tug, a gentle touch, on his calf. The calm, warm contact pulled him from his reckless mindset almost instantly. He looked down and saw a stern pair of grey eyes staring up at him in a loving, yet scolding look. Katherine. Instantly he felt ashamed for his actions, and his staff slowly dimmed. If anyone had a reason to be acting in this way it was her. She had just lost Nightlight, and now the others weren't even bothering to even mention some kind of rescue party to save him. Yet she was acting with poise and dignity, and she was younger than him. His heart was softened, and he lowered his staff back to his side. She smiled at him, and a look in her eyes told him, 'Don't worry. I have a plan. Just trust me'. Jack nodded.

He looked back up at North, embarrassed and shameful for his actions. "I'm…Sorry." He muttered, becoming suddenly interested in his bare feet. He looked back up at North with a look of regret in his eyes, and found North's face was still solid as stone, not any emotion on his face. Then he swallowed and spoke.

"Jack," He said sadly. "I'm sorry too."

Jack smiled up at North, and North gave him a pained look of sympathy. "Zis is for the best."

Jack heard Tooth and Katherine scream suddenly, and he whirled around to face them. A 7-foot tall yeti was standing directly behind him, his eyes blazing.

"You are hereby grounded, Jack Frost."

A burlap sack was thrown over Jack's body, staff and all. Then he saw and remembered nothing more.


	36. Of Groundings of Rebellion: Chapter 36

~Of Groundings and Rebellion~

Jack woke to strange surroundings. He was lying on a large, red couch, a sack still wrapped around his lower body. He took a sniff at it and coughed, it reeked of coliform. He must have passed out after he had been shoved inside it. He kicked it off, cursing himself.

"What is it with North and throwing me in sacks?" He asked, remembering the first time he was shoved into a bag by a yeti.

He looked around, trying to recognize the room he was in. It was a very nice room with a large and spacious circular floor plan, a high ceiling. Jack guessed that it was a tower room from the shape of the walls. There were cozy chairs, sofas, and many rugs on the floor. There was an old VCR in the corner with a huge stack of old Christmas cartoons from the 20s and up to the early 50s. There was a crackling fire in the corner and it was burning brightly with a sliver kettle over it (Filled with hot chocolate Jack guessed) and a plate of large cookies sat nearby. And even though the room looked warm and cozy it was surprisingly cold, which made Jack hope there was an open window somewhere. Maybe he could sneak out, and actually do something. There were children in need, and his best friend was down in Pitch's tunnels. But he didn't see an open window. In fact…. He didn't see any windows….

He sprung up from the sofa, grabbing his staff from off the floor. There were no windows! But the part that startled him the most was the fact that there wasn't only the absence of windows, but there was no door as well.

Jack immediately ran to the nearest wall. He searched for a notch in the wood, a dent in the wall that could show the door was just covered. But there was nothing. He went around every wall, pulling back picture frames and pulling on the light fixtures, like they do in the spy movies when they are searching for a secret door. But the walls remained solid.

"Let me out!" Jack yelled, his fists angrily pounding on the empty wall space. He ran over to the nearest table and flipped it over, his emotions becoming even more out of control. Panic, anger, and bitterness pumped in his veins. He had been locked away like a child because he had disobeyed. And if the other guardians wanted him to act like a child, then so be it.

He yelled and threw objects at the walls, trying to reveal where the door was hidden. And if he couldn't get out he just wanted to be heard. He wanted to let the others know he wasn't giving up so easily. He used his staff to fire blasts of cold at the walls and ceiling, and within minutes every surface in the room was covered in frost. He could feel his emotions were causing a storm around the tower he was in. That made him smile; now everyone would know he was trying to escape, that he hadn't given in. He kicked and punched, leaving small dents in the drywall. He yelled and blasted for what seemed like hours.

In other words, he threw a tantrum. And he kept on screaming and blasting until his energy was drained and his voice was hoarse.

As soon as his emotions gave way, he gained some sense and stopped. He slowly collapsed on a broken chair (Was it a chair? He couldn't tell anymore) in a tired heap, his body aching. Why had they done this to him? Why now? And why had he spoken out against them like that? He should have known this would have happened.

But still, he had to get out; he had to DO something. He couldn't just sit around; they were running out of time. But the guardians wouldn't listen to him, not a single one. Well, except Katherine. She seemed to have listened to him. She had said she had had a plan. But a plan for what? Did she mean a plan for the other guardians, or for Jack and her alone?

Jack sighed and leaned back on the frosted chair . He had managed to get himself into the darkness again, helpless and useless. He had probably snuffed out almost every light bulb in the room with his ice blasts. How had he managed to get out of that dark tunnel earlier today?

Jack's head snapped up. "Of course!"

He dug his hand into his sweatshirt pocket. He had almost forgotten the tooth! But what good would it do him now? Maybe he could use it to bargain his freedom, demand being let go for the tooth. At that ridiculous thought he laughed out loud.

"Jack you have lost it," He said. "Thinking about using a tooth to bargain your freedom."

He stuck his hand in his pocket and was relieved to find the tooth was still there, even if he couldn't use it to help him out of this mess. But as he pulled it out of the sweater he realized it was much too big to be a tooth.

And was it…. moving?

Jack's eyes widened as his fingers parted, revealing a small bundle of beautifully colored feathers.

"Baby Tooth?" He whispered, stunned.

The small fairy opened her eyes; she had clearly been asleep (Although how she had been able to sleep through his tantrum, Jack didn't know). Her arms were wrapped around Monty's tooth as if it was a teddy bear. She must have miraculously stowed away into his pocket when no one was looking, sensing the tooth inside. Jack laughed aloud as she started chirping away, standing up in the palm of his hand. She flittered around his head, her eyes bright and excited. They hadn't seen each other for a while, she was always so busy collecting teeth. Then her expression grew serious as she looked about the room and saw where they were.

Jack looked about a little guiltily. The remains of the room were now large broken pieces of furniture, frost, and a collapsed chandelier. Baby Tooth looked up at him with a look of questioning, like she was worried about his sanity. Then she chirped something that sounded like a question; maybe she was wondering why he wasn't out helping the others, or why he was locked up in here.

Jack chuckled. "Did you think you were going to be a stowaway on a great adventure, or a battle charge into Pitch's caves?" He asked. "Well sorry to disappoint, but you were better off with Tooth and the others. The two of us aren't going to be seeing any kind of action for a while.

"Well-" He yawned. "At least now I have company."

He smiled and Baby Tooth smiled back at him, her pearly whites gleaming. "I don't know how long I'm trapped in here," Jack rolled his eyes. "Or as North prefers it: 'How long I' m going to be grounded'."

Baby tooth laughed at him and gave him a 'what am I going to do with you look', and Jack's heart lifted at the sound. Then the petite creature let out a long yawn, stretching her arms above her head.

"Still tired?" Jack asked.

She nodded.

"Yeah, I bet you never get to sleep." Jack smiled. "Well, I guess a little shut eye never hurt anybody. Its not like we're going to miss anything," He joked. Then he curled up on the chair, Baby Tooth still in his hands. And the winter spirit fell asleep once again. He just prayed that when he awoke he could find a way out of this mess he had gotten himself into.

***********

"… Jack…

"Jaaackkk….

"JACK."

The winter sprite sat up with a jolt. "GAH!" He gasped.

"SHHHHHH!" A voice urged him.

Jack recognized that voice.

He looked to his right and found a particularly familiar face: Grey eyes, red hair, small lips.

It was Katherine.

He grinned mischievously. "You clever girl." He whispered.

She laughed. "Did you ever doubt me?" She asked quietly.

"Well…." Jack said, suddenly feeling very quiet. Katherine shoved him, hard. "No! Not for a second!" He added quickly.

She rolled her eyes and pushed him away from her. "Sure." She said sarcastically. "But come on, no time for small talk. We don't have much time."

Jack knew what that meant. She was busting him out.

He smiled childishly. "I knew I could count on you."

She smiled back at him, giving him a short wink and a smirk.

"Here- put this on." She said

She threw a large bundle of clothing at him, and he caught it with both his hands. She then kneeled down to the ground, rummaging through a backpack she had, and giving him privacy to change.

The bundle was clearly stolen from North's storages. He looked down and realized how dirty and torn his sweatshirt really was. He looked like an immortal snow hobo.

The clothing was a beautiful blue, royal and crisp. It was almost the same shade of his demolished sweatshirt, but it seemed even bluer. He unraveled it and found it was a cloak, much longer than the brown one he had ditched years ago but it still had the same design, two layers of fabric. His old cloak was safe in burgess though, he still couldn't let it go.

As soon as he touched the cloak frosted designs began to climb and spiral about the edges, giving it a special touch. He held it in front of him. It swept all the way to his knees, but it was really light.

He pulled his destroyed hoodie over his head, discarding it on the floor. Then he took the cloak, tying it around his neck. He pulled up the hood, smiling.

"How do I look?" He asked, mysteriously flapping his cloak around him.

She paused and looked at him, nodding. "Not too shabby. Much better than that hoodie though, it made you look like a delinquent teenager."

"But, I am a delinquent teenager," Jack smirked.

Katherine rolled her eyes and returned to looking through her bag.

Jack suddenly heard a faint noise, a strange squeak coming from his destroyed sweatshirt. The pile started to shake, and out emerged a grumpy looking Baby Tooth, her eyes flaming as she held Monty's tooth under one arm.

"Opps!" Jack chocked, trying to hold back his laughter at the sight of her crazy bed-head (Or bed-feather) hair. She flew up to his face and wagged her finger in anger, before suddenly taking interest in his outfit. She circled around his new cloak, giving a thoughtful nod of approval. She then flew up to Jack's shoulder (Her favorite place to perch) and remained silent, perhaps giving him the silent treatment.

Jack walked over to Katherine. "Now what?" He said, leaning over her.

Katherine looked up from her work. She seemed to have been packing a small backpack, the contents spread on the floor: A pocketknife, some maps, food bundles, a thermos, a compass, flint and steel, a blanket, a matchbox, rope, a odd looking whistle, and something strange that caught his eye. Some of the flowers that had surrounded Nightlight's memorial that night were wrapped in a handkerchief, still glowing with the moon's light. But Jack didn't question, knowing that their time was short.

"Sit," She said. "I need to fill you in."

Jack sat.

Katherine sighed, preparing herself for the long story ahead. "Well, because you're 'grounded', we are going to have to make a change in plans. I didn't think you were going to stand up to them like that; I would have stopped you if I had known," She held the bridge of her nose in aggravation. "But now we just have to work with it.

"Well, we probably have 6 minutes to get out of here," She said. "Security is tighter than ever. I found a tunnel in the west corridor that hasn't been blocked off, but it had a few yetis guarding it. But I drugged them with some eggnog, and they'll be out all night. The tunnel will lead us a few miles away, then we can get out and you can fly us the rest of the way."

"Um, alrighty then," Jack said, ecstatic to get out of the room (But secretly, he was most excited about breaking a few of North's rules). "So, where's the door?" He asked sheepishly.

Katherine sighed. "Jack. This is a tower. How could there be a door on the walls? You can only go down and up," She pointed to the floor by his chair, where a rug used to be. There was a trap door, stairs leading into the darkness.

"Oh…" He said, feeling stupid. "I knew that."

Katherine stood up, throwing her pack over her shoulder. "Ready?" She asked.

Jack nodded, feeling more than ready. "Yeah, sounds good. But I just have one question though…. Where are we going?"

Katherine slapped her forehead. "I knew I was forgetting something!"

"Are we going to save Nightlight?" Jack asked hopefully.

Katherine shook her head. "Maybe, if we have time." She said. "There is somewhere else I need to go first." She pointed to a spot on the map Jack didn't recognize. "I have a feeling that one of my old friends will know the answers to our questions," She said, pulling a small map out of her bag. "This is Eastern Siberia, also known as modern day Russia," She said, pointing to a small village on her map in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a star.

"We need to go to Santoff Claussen."

~End of Part One~


	37. Epilogue: Alone

*Alone*

Deep within the darkness, a boy sat alone.

The boy glowed, his silvery hair beaming like moonlit wisps and curling at the ends. But his brilliant light was locked away, his condemned and broken body confined to an ancient cage hundreds of feet above the ground. The black of the iron bars contrasted in an eerily beautiful way with his natural glow, confining his light to the darkness. He wore traditional armor of the moon, a beautiful white. He held in his arms the remains of a tree branch staff, the spearhead long gone. He cradled the broken staff for a moment, his thin frame bent in uncomfortable pain and fatigue. Then suddenly, his body shook with a tremendous tremor, and his light flickered, leaving himself in darkness once again. Then, with a small grunt of effort, he began to glow once more. But not as brilliantly as before.

Even deeper within the darkness, a girl watched alone.

She had a long regal gown, a beautiful white. But the ends were tinted with the blacksand that surrounded her, and the olden day lace trim dirtied as well. Her hair, what once was a beautiful raven black, was now a shocking white, only a few black strands remaining. She clutched her necklace around her neck like a security blanket. She watched the world threw a blurry window, catching strange images and flashes of familiar faces around her. She gazed up at the lonely boy's cage with a strange look of longing, curiosity, and fear. She dared not fly anymore; the ground was where she belonged. And she dared not venture into the boy's light; she knew nothing good could come from the light. But after a long while of waiting her curiosity overcame her. She allowed herself to fly a few yards up from the ground, hovering as a harmless spectator. The boy fascinated her. She had a strange urge to set him free, he looked so familiar; his young face and skinny build reminded her of someone she had seen before. Then the spectral boy opened his eyes, his light green orbs resting on her frame. There seemed to be a glimmer in his eyes, like starlight tears. Then he surprised her. He raised his weary hand, reaching down to her.

She stood in the air, her emotions clashing in her mind and making it hard for her to think. Then, timidly and slowly, she floated up to him. She stretched her fingers out in front of her, fascinated and fearful of the boy like a moth to flame.

Much deeper within the darkness, a man reached out alone.

An ice-cold grip caught the girl's other hand, forgotten by her side. She froze, turning to face the hand's owner. She was met with a golden pair of eyes, bent in concern and sadness. The man was cloaked in darkness, standing on a large pile of nightmare sand. Suddenly she felt very embarrassed, and childlike. What was she doing?

She relaxed her body, letting the man softly pull her back to the ground. They touched the ground and he started walking her away from the light, away from the boy, as quickly as possible. She glanced behind her shoulder as they excited the cavern, looking back at the darkness's prisoner. The boy's hand was still outstretched to her, his sad eyes pleading in the darkness. His light was fading.

But what could she do about it anyway?

The man pulled her past his golden globe, and the glowing boy's glow suddenly disappeared as he lead her through his tunnels. The girl's eyes became droopy as he guided her through the halls, her head bobbing as she tried to stay awake. She slowed so much that the man just decided to pick her up, scooping her into his arms easily. Her gown dragged as he carried her through the halls, past empty and abandoned rooms. Then they entered yet another cavern room, a grand hall with a high ceiling, and a hint of roman architecture all around them. In the middle end of the room sat a tall chair, a throne of darkness. He laid the girl's unconscious body onto the seat, draping her arms on to armrest and her head on top of them, like a pillow.

He stroked a piece of white hair away from her face fondly. That encounter had been close, far too close. He couldn't loose her to the light, not now. Not when the plan was falling so perfectly into place.

He bent down to her level, examining her closely. Seeing her like this, asleep and venerable, reminded him of someone. Some child, some time long ago.

"I knew a girl like you once," The man said softly.

"But I cant remember her name."


End file.
